I google searched again and came across this: 
http://effbot.org/zone/python-list.htm
It covers what you need to know 

 If you're working with lists I suggest you read it.
To delete all elements in a list you use a 
slice like so:
	Code:
	
list = [a,b,c,f,d,h,y]
del list[:] # Deletes all elements
print list # Check all items have been removed