Empty paragraphs accumulate after deleting all text

Phenomenon

When deleting all text from a paragraph in Chrome, empty paragraph elements with only <br> tags accumulate in the DOM. These empty paragraphs cause unnecessary spacing and bloat the HTML.

Reproduction example

1. Create multiple paragraphs with text
2. Delete all text from each paragraph
3. Observe the DOM structure

Observed behavior

• Empty <p><br></p> elements remain
• Multiple empty paragraphs accumulate
• DOM becomes bloated
• Unnecessary spacing appears

Expected behavior

• Empty paragraphs should be cleaned up
• Or at least one empty paragraph should remain for cursor
• DOM should be minimal
• No unnecessary spacing

Browser Comparison

• Chrome/Edge: Leaves empty paragraphs (this case)
• Firefox: More likely to leave empty elements
• Safari: Most likely to accumulate empty elements

Notes and possible direction for workarounds

• Clean up empty paragraphs after deletion
• Keep only one empty paragraph for cursor placement
• Remove empty paragraphs that are not needed
• Normalize DOM structure regularly