diff --git a/js/ui/chrome.js b/js/ui/chrome.js
index 9b920c899..cb913dd7c 100644
--- a/js/ui/chrome.js
+++ b/js/ui/chrome.js
@@ -65,15 +65,6 @@ Chrome.prototype = {
             children[i].allocate_preferred_size(flags);
     },
 
-    _verifyAncestry: function(actor, ancestor) {
-        while (actor) {
-            if (actor == ancestor)
-                return true;
-            actor = actor.get_parent();
-        }
-        return false;
-    },
-
     // addActor:
     // @actor: an actor to add to the chrome layer
     // @params: (optional) additional params
@@ -195,7 +186,7 @@ Chrome.prototype = {
     },
 
     _actorReparented: function(actor, oldParent) {
-        if (!this._verifyAncestry(actor, this.actor))
+        if (!this.actor.contains(actor))
             this._untrackActor(actor);
     },
 
diff --git a/js/ui/dash.js b/js/ui/dash.js
index df0cc4beb..a26e6cf87 100644
--- a/js/ui/dash.js
+++ b/js/ui/dash.js
@@ -275,16 +275,7 @@ SearchEntry.prototype = {
 
     _onCapturedEvent: function(actor, event) {
         let source = event.get_source();
-        let panelEvent = false;
-
-        if (source) {
-            let parent = source;
-            do {
-                if (parent == Main.panel.actor)
-                    break;
-            } while ((parent = parent.get_parent()) != null);
-            panelEvent = (parent != null);
-        }
+        let panelEvent = source && Main.panel.actor.contains(source);
 
         switch (event.type()) {
             case Clutter.EventType.BUTTON_PRESS:
diff --git a/js/ui/environment.js b/js/ui/environment.js
index 67682d8fe..27cce08ca 100644
--- a/js/ui/environment.js
+++ b/js/ui/environment.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /* -*- mode: js2; js2-basic-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil -*- */
 
+const Clutter = imports.gi.Clutter;;
 const Shell = imports.gi.Shell;
 const St = imports.gi.St;
 const Gettext_gtk20 = imports.gettext.domain('gtk20');
@@ -70,6 +71,12 @@ function init() {
     _patchContainerClass(St.BoxLayout);
     _patchContainerClass(St.Table);
 
+    Clutter.Actor.prototype.contains = function(child) {
+        while (child != null && child != this)
+            child = child.get_parent();
+        return child != null;
+    };
+
     _blockMethod('Clutter.Event.get_state', 'Shell.get_event_state',
                  'gjs\'s handling of Clutter.ModifierType is broken. See bug 597292.');
     _blockMethod('Gdk.Display.get_pointer', 'global.get_pointer',
diff --git a/js/ui/popupMenu.js b/js/ui/popupMenu.js
index 22702f1c6..c907f316d 100644
--- a/js/ui/popupMenu.js
+++ b/js/ui/popupMenu.js
@@ -494,28 +494,17 @@ PopupMenuManager.prototype = {
             this.ungrab();
     },
 
-    _containsActor: function(container, actor) {
-        let parent = actor;
-        while (parent != null) {
-            if (parent == container)
-                return true;
-            parent = parent.get_parent();
-        }
-        return false;
-    },
-
     _eventIsOnActiveMenu: function(event) {
         let src = event.get_source();
         return this._activeMenu != null
-                && (this._containsActor(this._activeMenu.actor, src) ||
-                    this._containsActor(this._activeMenu.sourceActor, src));
+                && (this._activeMenu.actor.contains(src) ||
+                    this._activeMenu.sourceActor.contains(src));
     },
 
     _eventIsOnAnyMenuSource: function(event) {
         let src = event.get_source();
         for (let i = 0; i < this._menus.length; i++) {
-            let actor = this._menus[i].sourceActor;
-            if (this._containsActor(actor, src))
+            if (this._menus[i].sourceActor.contains(src))
                 return true;
         }
         return false;
diff --git a/js/ui/telepathyClient.js b/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
index bf42663e9..70f52ced7 100644
--- a/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
+++ b/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
@@ -629,11 +629,8 @@ Notification.prototype = {
             return false;
 
         let source = event.get_source ();
-        while (source) {
-            if (source == notification)
-                return false;
-            source = source.get_parent();
-        }
+        if (source && notification.contains(source))
+            return false;
 
         // @source is outside @notification, which has to mean that
         // we have a pointer grab, and the user clicked outside the
diff --git a/src/st/st-clickable.c b/src/st/st-clickable.c
index 79192cfc5..abed5be26 100644
--- a/src/st/st-clickable.c
+++ b/src/st/st-clickable.c
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 
 #include "st-clickable.h"
 
+#include "st-private.h"
+
 G_DEFINE_TYPE (StClickable, st_clickable, ST_TYPE_BIN);
 
 struct _StClickablePrivate {
@@ -69,17 +71,6 @@ set_pressed (StClickable  *self,
   g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (self), "pressed");
 }
 
-static gboolean
-st_clickable_contains (StClickable     *self,
-                       ClutterActor    *actor)
-{
-  while (actor != NULL && actor != (ClutterActor*)self)
-    {
-      actor = clutter_actor_get_parent (actor);
-    }
-  return actor != NULL;
-}
-
 static gboolean
 st_clickable_enter_event (ClutterActor         *actor,
                           ClutterCrossingEvent *event)
@@ -130,7 +121,7 @@ st_clickable_button_press_event (ClutterActor       *actor,
   if (self->priv->held)
     return TRUE;
 
-  if (!st_clickable_contains (self, event->source))
+  if (!_st_actor_contains (actor, event->source))
     return FALSE;
 
   self->priv->held = TRUE;
@@ -157,7 +148,7 @@ st_clickable_button_release_event (ClutterActor       *actor,
   self->priv->held = FALSE;
   clutter_ungrab_pointer ();
 
-  if (!st_clickable_contains (self, event->source))
+  if (!_st_actor_contains (actor, event->source))
     return FALSE;
 
   set_pressed (self, FALSE);
diff --git a/src/st/st-entry.c b/src/st/st-entry.c
index 42a468709..7da288608 100644
--- a/src/st/st-entry.c
+++ b/src/st/st-entry.c
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
 #include "st-texture-cache.h"
 #include "st-marshal.h"
 #include "st-clipboard.h"
+#include "st-private.h"
 
 #define HAS_FOCUS(actor) (clutter_actor_get_stage (actor) && clutter_stage_get_key_focus ((ClutterStage *) clutter_actor_get_stage (actor)) == actor)
 
@@ -577,22 +578,13 @@ st_entry_key_focus_in (ClutterActor *actor)
   clutter_actor_grab_key_focus (priv->entry);
 }
 
-static gboolean
-actor_contains (ClutterActor *widget,
-                ClutterActor *other)
-{
-  while (other != NULL && other != widget)
-    other = clutter_actor_get_parent (other);
-  return other != NULL;
-}
-
 static gboolean
 st_entry_enter_event (ClutterActor         *actor,
                       ClutterCrossingEvent *event)
 {
   StEntryPrivate *priv = ST_ENTRY_PRIV (actor);
 
-  if (actor_contains (actor, event->source)
+  if (_st_actor_contains (actor, event->source)
       && priv->hint && priv->hint_visible)
     {
       st_widget_set_hover (ST_WIDGET (actor), TRUE);
@@ -605,7 +597,7 @@ static gboolean
 st_entry_leave_event (ClutterActor         *actor,
                       ClutterCrossingEvent *event)
 {
-  if (!actor_contains (actor, event->related))
+  if (!_st_actor_contains (actor, event->related))
     st_widget_set_hover (ST_WIDGET (actor), FALSE);
 
   return CLUTTER_ACTOR_CLASS (st_entry_parent_class)->leave_event (actor, event);
diff --git a/src/st/st-private.c b/src/st/st-private.c
index dd64cb889..1ebadf654 100644
--- a/src/st/st-private.c
+++ b/src/st/st-private.c
@@ -310,3 +310,12 @@ _st_set_text_from_style (ClutterText *text,
 
   pango_attr_list_unref (attribs);
 }
+
+gboolean
+_st_actor_contains (ClutterActor *actor,
+                    ClutterActor *child)
+{
+  while (child != NULL && child != actor)
+    child = clutter_actor_get_parent (child);
+  return child != NULL;
+}
diff --git a/src/st/st-private.h b/src/st/st-private.h
index 83686659c..eecd7fdaa 100644
--- a/src/st/st-private.h
+++ b/src/st/st-private.h
@@ -72,4 +72,7 @@ void _st_allocate_fill (StWidget        *parent,
 void _st_set_text_from_style (ClutterText *text,
                               StThemeNode *theme_node);
 
+gboolean _st_actor_contains (ClutterActor *actor,
+                             ClutterActor *child);
+
 #endif /* __ST_PRIVATE_H__ */
diff --git a/src/st/st-widget.c b/src/st/st-widget.c
index 2a0676687..16eceb0ff 100644
--- a/src/st/st-widget.c
+++ b/src/st/st-widget.c
@@ -557,15 +557,6 @@ st_widget_get_theme_node (StWidget *widget)
   return priv->theme_node;
 }
 
-static gboolean
-actor_contains (ClutterActor *widget,
-                ClutterActor *other)
-{
-  while (other != NULL && other != widget)
-    other = clutter_actor_get_parent (other);
-  return other != NULL;
-}
-
 static gboolean
 st_widget_enter (ClutterActor         *actor,
                  ClutterCrossingEvent *event)
@@ -574,7 +565,7 @@ st_widget_enter (ClutterActor         *actor,
 
   if (priv->track_hover)
     {
-      if (actor_contains (actor, event->source))
+      if (_st_actor_contains (actor, event->source))
         st_widget_set_hover (ST_WIDGET (actor), TRUE);
       else
         {
@@ -600,7 +591,7 @@ st_widget_leave (ClutterActor         *actor,
 
   if (priv->track_hover)
     {
-      if (!actor_contains (actor, event->related))
+      if (!_st_actor_contains (actor, event->related))
         st_widget_set_hover (ST_WIDGET (actor), FALSE);
     }
 
@@ -1589,17 +1580,13 @@ st_widget_sync_hover (StWidget *widget)
 {
   ClutterDeviceManager *device_manager;
   ClutterInputDevice *pointer;
-  ClutterActor *actor;
+  ClutterActor *pointer_actor;
 
   device_manager = clutter_device_manager_get_default ();
   pointer = clutter_device_manager_get_core_device (device_manager,
                                                     CLUTTER_POINTER_DEVICE);
-  actor = clutter_input_device_get_pointer_actor (pointer);
-
-  while (actor && actor != (ClutterActor *)widget)
-    actor = clutter_actor_get_parent (actor);
-
-  st_widget_set_hover (widget, actor == (ClutterActor *)widget);
+  pointer_actor = clutter_input_device_get_pointer_actor (pointer);
+  st_widget_set_hover (widget, _st_actor_contains (CLUTTER_ACTOR (widget), pointer_actor));
 }
 
 /**