diff --git a/src/p4p/test/utils.py b/src/p4p/test/utils.py
index 50f7a6db..8f7b59ca 100644
--- a/src/p4p/test/utils.py
+++ b/src/p4p/test/utils.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
     unittest.TestCase.assertRaisesRegex = unittest.TestCase.assertRaisesRegexp
 
 class RefTestMixin(object):
+    __showLeftovers = True
 
     """Ensure that each test does not result in a net change in extension object counts
     """
@@ -48,7 +49,8 @@ def setUp(self):
             self.__before = self.__refs()
 
             for mustzero in ('ClientContextImpl',):
-                if self.__before.get(mustzero, 0)!=0:
+                if self.__before.get(mustzero, 0)!=0 and self.__showLeftovers:
+                    self.__showLeftovers = False # only show failure once
                     self.fail('Leftovers from previous test: %s = %d'%(mustzero, self.__before[mustzero]))
 
         super(RefTestMixin, self).setUp()