diff --git a/tests/common.h b/tests/common.h
index bbe2db9..d5c8def 100644
--- a/tests/common.h
+++ b/tests/common.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 extern void reset(cJSON *item);
 extern char *read_file(const char *filename);
+extern cjbool assert_is_invalid(cJSON *item);
 
 /* assertion helper macros */
 #define assert_has_type(item, item_type) TEST_ASSERT_BITS_MESSAGE(0xFF, item_type, item->type, "Item doesn't have expected type.")
@@ -41,5 +42,11 @@ extern char *read_file(const char *filename);
 	TEST_ASSERT_NULL_MESSAGE(item->prev, "Linked list previous pointer is not NULL.")
 #define assert_has_child(item) TEST_ASSERT_NOT_NULL_MESSAGE(item->child, "Item doesn't have a child.")
 #define assert_has_no_child(item) TEST_ASSERT_NULL_MESSAGE(item->child, "Item has a child.")
+#define assert_is_invalid(item) \
+	assert_has_type(item, cJSON_Invalid);\
+	assert_not_in_list(item);\
+	assert_has_no_child(item);\
+	assert_has_no_string(item);\
+	assert_has_no_valuestring(item)
 
 #endif
diff --git a/tests/parse_array.c b/tests/parse_array.c
index 405f530..5364739 100644
--- a/tests/parse_array.c
+++ b/tests/parse_array.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ static void assert_is_array(cJSON *array_item)
 static void assert_not_array(const char *json)
 {
     TEST_ASSERT_NULL(parse_array(item, (const unsigned char*)json, &error_pointer));
+    assert_is_invalid(item);
 }
 
 static void assert_parse_array(const char *json)
diff --git a/tests/parse_object.c b/tests/parse_object.c
index e79cd65..e8ede1d 100644
--- a/tests/parse_object.c
+++ b/tests/parse_object.c
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ static void assert_is_child(cJSON *child_item, const char *name, int type)
 static void assert_not_object(const char *json)
 {
     TEST_ASSERT_NULL(parse_object(item, (const unsigned char*)json, &error_pointer));
+    assert_is_invalid(item);
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void assert_parse_object(const char *json)
@@ -66,9 +68,12 @@ static void assert_parse_object(const char *json)
 static void parse_object_should_parse_empty_objects(void)
 {
     assert_parse_object("{}");
-    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(item->child);
+    assert_has_no_child(item);
+    reset(item);
+
     assert_parse_object("{\n\t}");
-    TEST_ASSERT_NULL(item->child);
+    assert_has_no_child(item);
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_array_should_parse_arrays_with_one_element(void)
diff --git a/tests/parse_string.c b/tests/parse_string.c
index db1fbb9..67d78c4 100644
--- a/tests/parse_string.c
+++ b/tests/parse_string.c
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ static void assert_parse_string(const char *string, const char *expected)
     item->valuestring = NULL;
 }
 
-#define assert_not_parse_string(string) TEST_ASSERT_NULL_MESSAGE(parse_string(item, (const unsigned char*)string, &error_pointer), "Malformed string should not be accepted")
+#define assert_not_parse_string(string) \
+    TEST_ASSERT_NULL_MESSAGE(parse_string(item, (const unsigned char*)string, &error_pointer), "Malformed string should not be accepted");\
+    assert_is_invalid(item)
+
+
 
 static void parse_string_should_parse_strings(void)
 {
@@ -65,35 +69,44 @@ static void parse_string_should_parse_strings(void)
     assert_parse_string(
         "\"\\\"\\\\\\/\\b\\f\\n\\r\\t\\u20AC\\u732b\"",
         "\"\\/\b\f\n\r\t€猫");
+    reset(item);
     assert_parse_string("\"\b\f\n\r\t\"", "\b\f\n\r\t");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_string_should_parse_utf16_surrogate_pairs(void)
 {
     assert_parse_string("\"\\uD83D\\udc31\"", "🐱");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_string_should_not_parse_non_strings(void)
 {
     assert_not_parse_string("this\" is not a string\"");
+    reset(item);
     assert_not_parse_string("");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_string_should_not_parse_invalid_backslash(void)
 {
     assert_not_parse_string("Abcdef\\123");
+    reset(item);
     assert_not_parse_string("Abcdef\\e23");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_string_should_not_overflow_with_closing_backslash(void)
 {
     assert_not_parse_string("\"000000000000000000\\");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 static void parse_string_should_parse_bug_94(void)
 {
     const char string[] = "\"~!@\\\\#$%^&*()\\\\\\\\-\\\\+{}[]:\\\\;\\\\\\\"\\\\<\\\\>?/.,DC=ad,DC=com\"";
     assert_parse_string(string, "~!@\\#$%^&*()\\\\-\\+{}[]:\\;\\\"\\<\\>?/.,DC=ad,DC=com");
+    reset(item);
 }
 
 int main(void)