diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8a6ecb798d..e9dc762e61 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ node_modules
 *.iml
 .DS_Store
 Thumbs.db
-bower_components
 main.css
 bundle.js
 coverage
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 2905e08134..2652680008 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -213,9 +213,6 @@ congratulations – you're all set. Otherwise, let us know by asking in the [Con
  # Reinstall npm packages
  npm install
 
- # Re-run bower install
- bower install
-
  # Seed the database (optional)
  node seed