diff --git a/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterExpression.php b/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterExpression.php
index 5b580fa38..8ef1e5076 100644
--- a/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterExpression.php
+++ b/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterExpression.php
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ class FilterExpression extends Filter
     public function __construct($column, $sign, $expression)
     {
         $column = trim($column);
-        $expression = is_array($expression) ? array_map('trim', $expression) : trim($expression);
         $this->column = $column;
         $this->sign = $sign;
         $this->expression = $expression;
diff --git a/library/Icinga/Web/Widget/FilterEditor.php b/library/Icinga/Web/Widget/FilterEditor.php
index 63293050c..16c396f85 100644
--- a/library/Icinga/Web/Widget/FilterEditor.php
+++ b/library/Icinga/Web/Widget/FilterEditor.php
@@ -231,10 +231,11 @@ class FilterEditor extends AbstractWidget
                     if ($searchCol === null) {
                         throw new Exception('Cannot search here');
                     }
+                    $search = ltrim($search);
                     $filter = $this->mergeRootExpression($filter, $searchCol, '=', "*$search*");
                 } else {
                     list($k, $v) = preg_split('/=/', $search);
-                    $filter = $this->mergeRootExpression($filter, $k, '=', $v);
+                    $filter = $this->mergeRootExpression($filter, trim($k), '=', ltrim($v));
                 }
             } else {
                 if (false === $this->resetSearchColumns($filter)) {
@@ -242,6 +243,7 @@ class FilterEditor extends AbstractWidget
                 }
 
                 $filters = array();
+                $search = ltrim($search);
                 foreach ($this->searchColumns as $searchColumn) {
                     $filters[] = Filter::expression($searchColumn, '=', "*$search*");
                 }
diff --git a/test/php/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterTest.php b/test/php/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterTest.php
index e14decb20..8080d47f7 100644
--- a/test/php/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterTest.php
+++ b/test/php/library/Icinga/Data/Filter/FilterTest.php
@@ -198,16 +198,53 @@ class FilterTest extends BaseTestCase
         $this->assertNotEquals((string) $c, (string) $d);
     }
 
-    public function testLeadingAndTrailingWhitespacesSanitizing()
+    public function testLeadingAndTrailingWhitespaces()
     {
-        $columnHasWhitespaces = Filter::where(' host ', 'localhost');
-        $expressionHasWhitespaces = Filter::where('host', ' localhost ');
-        $bothHaveWhitespaces = Filter::fromQueryString('  host  =  localhost  ');
-        $withArray = Filter::where(' host ', array(' no match  ', '  localhost  '));
-        $this->assertTrue($columnHasWhitespaces->matches($this->sampleData[0]));
-        $this->assertTrue($expressionHasWhitespaces->matches($this->sampleData[0]));
-        $this->assertTrue($bothHaveWhitespaces->matches($this->sampleData[0]));
-        $this->assertTrue($withArray->matches($this->sampleData[0]));
+        $columnWithWhitespaces = Filter::where(' host ', 'localhost');
+        $this->assertTrue($columnWithWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => 'localhost'
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t remove leading and trailing whitespaces from columns'
+        );
+        $expressionWithLeadingWhitespaces = Filter::where('host', ' localhost');
+        $this->assertTrue($expressionWithLeadingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost'
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take leading whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $this->assertFalse($expressionWithLeadingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take trailing whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $expressionWithTrailingWhitespaces = Filter::where('host', 'localhost ');
+        $this->assertTrue($expressionWithTrailingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => 'localhost '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take trailing whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $this->assertFalse($expressionWithTrailingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take leading whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $expressionWithLeadingAndTrailingWhitespaces = Filter::where('host', ' localhost ');
+        $this->assertTrue($expressionWithLeadingAndTrailingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take leading and trailing whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $this->assertFalse($expressionWithLeadingAndTrailingWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost  '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take leading and trailing whitespaces of expressions into account'
+        );
+        $queryStringWithWhitespaces = Filter::fromQueryString(' host = localhost ');
+        $this->assertTrue($queryStringWithWhitespaces->matches((object) array(
+                'host' => ' localhost '
+            )),
+            'Filter doesn\'t take leading and trailing whitespaces of expressions in query strings into account'
+        );
     }
 
     private function row($idx)