diff --git a/app/Tables/Changeset.php b/app/Tables/Changeset.php
index ed0b6a5..ad2aabd 100644
--- a/app/Tables/Changeset.php
+++ b/app/Tables/Changeset.php
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class Changeset
      */
     public function transformRow($row, $decorate)
     {
-        if ($row instanceof Row) $row = (object)$row->getAttributes();
+        if ($row instanceof Row) $row = (object)$row->getAttributes(); // row must be in the rowData() format
 
         if ($decorate) {
             $row->_remove = false;
@@ -220,7 +220,12 @@ class Changeset
 
                 if ($decorate) {
                     $row->_changed = array_keys($newVals);
-                    $row->_orig = array_only((array)$row, $row->_changed);
+                    $row->_orig = array_diff((array)$row, []);
+                    unset($row->_orig['_id']);
+                    unset($row->_orig['_new']);
+                    unset($row->_orig['_remove']);
+                    unset($row->_orig['_changed']);
+                    unset($row->_orig['_orig']);
                 }
 
                 $row = (object)array_merge((array)$row, $newVals);
@@ -231,6 +236,7 @@ class Changeset
         if (!$decorate) {
             foreach ($this->removedColumns as $colId) {
                 unset($row->$colId);
+                unset($row->_orig[$colId]);
             }
         }
 
@@ -456,9 +462,10 @@ class Changeset
 
             $col = $cols[$colId];
             $value = $col->cast($value);
-            $origValue = $col->cast(isset($origRow->$colId) ? $origRow->$colId : null);
+            $origValue = isset($origRow->$colId) ? $origRow->$colId : null;
+            $origValueCast = $col->cast($origValue);
 
-            if ($value !== $origValue) {
+            if ($value !== $origValueCast && !($origValue===null&&$value==="")) { // fix for null in numeric cols being forcibly populated and sticking as change
                 $updateObj[$colId] = $value;
             }
         }
diff --git a/resources/assets/js/components/RowsEditor.vue b/resources/assets/js/components/RowsEditor.vue
index 4b88110..7ceb3ad 100644
--- a/resources/assets/js/components/RowsEditor.vue
+++ b/resources/assets/js/components/RowsEditor.vue
@@ -290,9 +290,17 @@ Rows are identified by row._id, columns by col.id
         let wasDirty = this.isRowChanged(row, true)
 
         let changes = []
-        _.each(row._orig, (v, k) => {
-          if (row[k] != v) {
-            changes.push(k)
+        _.each(this.columns, (col) => {
+          let val = row[col.id];
+          let orig = row._orig[col.id];
+          if (_.isUndefined(orig)) {
+            // null in DB
+            if (val !== '' && val !== 0) {
+              changes.push(col.id)
+              console.log('is dirty', JSON.stringify(val))
+            }
+          } else if (val != orig) {
+            changes.push(col.id)
           }
         })