diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 25fa04e..23fb0eb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ AnonChat can be configured using environment variables:
 - `BEHIND_PROXY`: Set to "true" when running behind a reverse proxy to properly handle client IP addresses (defaults to "false")
 - `RATELIMIT_STORAGE_URL`: Storage backend for rate limiting (defaults to memory storage)
 - `REDIS_URL`: Redis connection URL for session storage (defaults to "redis://localhost:6379/0")
+- `AUTO_DELETE_HOURS`: Number of hours after which closed inquiries are automatically deleted (defaults to 48)
 
 You can set these variables in a `.env` file:
 
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ FLASK_ENV=development
 SITE_TITLE=My Custom Chat
 BEHIND_PROXY=true
 REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
+AUTO_DELETE_HOURS=72
 ```
 
 ## Reverse Proxy Configuration
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index ac2a1b3..8b4ba61 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -11,11 +11,11 @@ services:
       - redis
     environment:
       - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://anonchat:anonchat@db:5432/anonchat
+      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
       - SECRET_KEY=change-this-secret-key-in-production
-      - SITE_TITLE=Chat
       - ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
       - ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-this-password-in-production
-      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
+      - BEHIND_PROXY=false # Set to true if you're running behind a reverse proxy
 
   db:
     image: postgres:15
diff --git a/src/anonchat/__init__.py b/src/anonchat/__init__.py
index 21b1223..82eff47 100644
--- a/src/anonchat/__init__.py
+++ b/src/anonchat/__init__.py
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ app.config['WEBHOOK_SECRET'] = os.environ.get('WEBHOOK_SECRET', '')
 app.config['ADMIN_USERNAME'] = os.environ.get('ADMIN_USERNAME', 'admin')
 app.config['ADMIN_PASSWORD'] = os.environ.get('ADMIN_PASSWORD', None)
 app.config['ADMIN_FORCE_RESET'] = os.environ.get('ADMIN_FORCE_RESET', 'false').lower() == 'true'
+# Auto-deletion configuration
+app.config['AUTO_DELETE_HOURS'] = int(os.environ.get('AUTO_DELETE_HOURS', 48))
 # Rate limit configurations
 app.config['RATELIMIT_STORAGE_URI'] = os.environ.get('RATELIMIT_STORAGE_URI', os.environ.get('REDIS_URL'))
 app.config['RATELIMIT_HEADERS_ENABLED'] = True
diff --git a/src/anonchat/models/inquiry.py b/src/anonchat/models/inquiry.py
index 0a0caea..a96fb2d 100644
--- a/src/anonchat/models/inquiry.py
+++ b/src/anonchat/models/inquiry.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from .. import db
 import secrets
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from flask import current_app
 
 class Inquiry(db.Model):
     id = db.Column(db.String(16), primary_key=True, unique=True, default=lambda: secrets.token_hex(8))
@@ -21,9 +22,11 @@ class Inquiry(db.Model):
         self.closing_timestamp = None
     
     @staticmethod
-    def get_expired_inquiries(days=2):
-        """Get inquiries that have been closed for more than the specified days"""
-        expiry_date = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(days=days)
+    def get_expired_inquiries(hours=None):
+        """Get inquiries that have been closed for more than the specified hours"""
+        if hours is None:
+            hours = current_app.config.get('AUTO_DELETE_HOURS')
+        expiry_date = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=hours)
         return Inquiry.query.filter(
             Inquiry.is_closed == True,
             Inquiry.closing_timestamp <= expiry_date
@@ -32,5 +35,6 @@ class Inquiry(db.Model):
     def get_deletion_date(self):
         """Get the deletion date for a closed inquiry"""
         if self.is_closed:
-            return self.closing_timestamp + timedelta(days=2)
+            hours = current_app.config.get('AUTO_DELETE_HOURS')
+            return self.closing_timestamp + timedelta(hours=hours)
         return None 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/anonchat/tasks.py b/src/anonchat/tasks.py
index 8325b3e..f381388 100644
--- a/src/anonchat/tasks.py
+++ b/src/anonchat/tasks.py
@@ -4,13 +4,14 @@ from .models import Inquiry
 from datetime import datetime
 
 def check_and_delete_expired_inquiries():
-    """Check and delete inquiries that have been closed for more than 2 days"""
+    """Check and delete inquiries that have been closed for more than the configured number of hours"""
     # Get app context from current_app
     app = current_app._get_current_object()
     
     with app.app_context():
-        app.logger.info("Running scheduled task: check_and_delete_expired_inquiries")
-        expired_inquiries = Inquiry.get_expired_inquiries(days=2)
+        auto_delete_hours = app.config.get('AUTO_DELETE_HOURS')
+        app.logger.info(f"Running scheduled task: check_and_delete_expired_inquiries (delete after {auto_delete_hours} hours)")
+        expired_inquiries = Inquiry.get_expired_inquiries()
         deleted_count = 0
         
         for inquiry in expired_inquiries:
diff --git a/src/anonchat/templates/admin_settings.html b/src/anonchat/templates/admin_settings.html
index 3e2bf4e..985d61e 100644
--- a/src/anonchat/templates/admin_settings.html
+++ b/src/anonchat/templates/admin_settings.html
@@ -30,4 +30,15 @@
             <button type="submit">Update Password</button>
         </form>
     </div>
+    
+    <br>
+
+    <div class="settings-info">
+        <h3>System Configuration</h3>
+        <p>The following settings are configured through environment variables:</p>
+        <ul style="margin-left: 1.5rem;">
+            <li><strong>Auto Delete Delay:</strong> {{ config.AUTO_DELETE_HOURS }} hours (set with AUTO_DELETE_HOURS)</li>
+        </ul>
+        <p><small>To change these values, update your environment variables or .env file and restart the application.</small></p>
+    </div>
 {% endblock %} 
\ No newline at end of file