diff --git a/fs/notify/fsnotify.h b/fs/notify/fsnotify.h
index b44c68a857e7..72fb4f33982f 100644
--- a/fs/notify/fsnotify.h
+++ b/fs/notify/fsnotify.h
@@ -56,6 +56,11 @@ static inline void fsnotify_clear_marks_by_mount(struct vfsmount *mnt)
 	fsnotify_destroy_marks(&real_mount(mnt)->mnt_fsnotify_marks,
 			       &mnt->mnt_root->d_lock);
 }
+/* prepare for freeing all marks associated with given group */
+extern void fsnotify_detach_group_marks(struct fsnotify_group *group);
+/* wait for fsnotify_mark_srcu period to end and free all marks in destroy_list */
+extern void fsnotify_mark_destroy_list(void);
+
 /*
  * update the dentry->d_flags of all of inode's children to indicate if inode cares
  * about events that happen to its children.
diff --git a/fs/notify/group.c b/fs/notify/group.c
index d16b62cb2854..3e2dd85be5dd 100644
--- a/fs/notify/group.c
+++ b/fs/notify/group.c
@@ -47,12 +47,21 @@ static void fsnotify_final_destroy_group(struct fsnotify_group *group)
  */
 void fsnotify_destroy_group(struct fsnotify_group *group)
 {
-	/* clear all inode marks for this group */
-	fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group(group);
+	/* clear all inode marks for this group, attach them to destroy_list */
+	fsnotify_detach_group_marks(group);
 
-	synchronize_srcu(&fsnotify_mark_srcu);
+	/*
+	 * Wait for fsnotify_mark_srcu period to end and free all marks in
+	 * destroy_list
+	 */
+	fsnotify_mark_destroy_list();
 
-	/* clear the notification queue of all events */
+	/*
+	 * Since we have waited for fsnotify_mark_srcu in
+	 * fsnotify_mark_destroy_list() there can be no outstanding event
+	 * notification against this group. So clearing the notification queue
+	 * of all events is reliable now.
+	 */
 	fsnotify_flush_notify(group);
 
 	/*
diff --git a/fs/notify/mark.c b/fs/notify/mark.c
index 7115c5d7d373..d3fea0bd89e2 100644
--- a/fs/notify/mark.c
+++ b/fs/notify/mark.c
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ struct srcu_struct fsnotify_mark_srcu;
 static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(destroy_lock);
 static LIST_HEAD(destroy_list);
 
-static void fsnotify_mark_destroy(struct work_struct *work);
-static DECLARE_DELAYED_WORK(reaper_work, fsnotify_mark_destroy);
+static void fsnotify_mark_destroy_workfn(struct work_struct *work);
+static DECLARE_DELAYED_WORK(reaper_work, fsnotify_mark_destroy_workfn);
 
 void fsnotify_get_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
 {
@@ -173,11 +173,15 @@ void fsnotify_detach_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
 }
 
 /*
- * Free fsnotify mark. The freeing is actually happening from a kthread which
- * first waits for srcu period end. Caller must have a reference to the mark
- * or be protected by fsnotify_mark_srcu.
+ * Prepare mark for freeing and add it to the list of marks prepared for
+ * freeing. The actual freeing must happen after SRCU period ends and the
+ * caller is responsible for this.
+ *
+ * The function returns true if the mark was added to the list of marks for
+ * freeing. The function returns false if someone else has already called
+ * __fsnotify_free_mark() for the mark.
  */
-void fsnotify_free_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
+static bool __fsnotify_free_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
 {
 	struct fsnotify_group *group = mark->group;
 
@@ -185,17 +189,11 @@ void fsnotify_free_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
 	/* something else already called this function on this mark */
 	if (!(mark->flags & FSNOTIFY_MARK_FLAG_ALIVE)) {
 		spin_unlock(&mark->lock);
-		return;
+		return false;
 	}
 	mark->flags &= ~FSNOTIFY_MARK_FLAG_ALIVE;
 	spin_unlock(&mark->lock);
 
-	spin_lock(&destroy_lock);
-	list_add(&mark->g_list, &destroy_list);
-	spin_unlock(&destroy_lock);
-	queue_delayed_work(system_unbound_wq, &reaper_work,
-				FSNOTIFY_REAPER_DELAY);
-
 	/*
 	 * Some groups like to know that marks are being freed.  This is a
 	 * callback to the group function to let it know that this mark
@@ -203,6 +201,25 @@ void fsnotify_free_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
 	 */
 	if (group->ops->freeing_mark)
 		group->ops->freeing_mark(mark, group);
+
+	spin_lock(&destroy_lock);
+	list_add(&mark->g_list, &destroy_list);
+	spin_unlock(&destroy_lock);
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Free fsnotify mark. The freeing is actually happening from a workqueue which
+ * first waits for srcu period end. Caller must have a reference to the mark
+ * or be protected by fsnotify_mark_srcu.
+ */
+void fsnotify_free_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark)
+{
+	if (__fsnotify_free_mark(mark)) {
+		queue_delayed_work(system_unbound_wq, &reaper_work,
+				   FSNOTIFY_REAPER_DELAY);
+	}
 }
 
 void fsnotify_destroy_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark,
@@ -468,11 +485,29 @@ void fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group_flags(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 }
 
 /*
- * Given a group, destroy all of the marks associated with that group.
+ * Given a group, prepare for freeing all the marks associated with that group.
+ * The marks are attached to the list of marks prepared for destruction, the
+ * caller is responsible for freeing marks in that list after SRCU period has
+ * ended.
  */
-void fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group(struct fsnotify_group *group)
+void fsnotify_detach_group_marks(struct fsnotify_group *group)
 {
-	fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group_flags(group, (unsigned int)-1);
+	struct fsnotify_mark *mark;
+
+	while (1) {
+		mutex_lock_nested(&group->mark_mutex, SINGLE_DEPTH_NESTING);
+		if (list_empty(&group->marks_list)) {
+			mutex_unlock(&group->mark_mutex);
+			break;
+		}
+		mark = list_first_entry(&group->marks_list,
+					struct fsnotify_mark, g_list);
+		fsnotify_get_mark(mark);
+		fsnotify_detach_mark(mark);
+		mutex_unlock(&group->mark_mutex);
+		__fsnotify_free_mark(mark);
+		fsnotify_put_mark(mark);
+	}
 }
 
 void fsnotify_duplicate_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *new, struct fsnotify_mark *old)
@@ -499,7 +534,11 @@ void fsnotify_init_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark,
 	mark->free_mark = free_mark;
 }
 
-static void fsnotify_mark_destroy(struct work_struct *work)
+/*
+ * Destroy all marks in destroy_list, waits for SRCU period to finish before
+ * actually freeing marks.
+ */
+void fsnotify_mark_destroy_list(void)
 {
 	struct fsnotify_mark *mark, *next;
 	struct list_head private_destroy_list;
@@ -516,3 +555,8 @@ static void fsnotify_mark_destroy(struct work_struct *work)
 		fsnotify_put_mark(mark);
 	}
 }
+
+static void fsnotify_mark_destroy_workfn(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+	fsnotify_mark_destroy_list();
+}
diff --git a/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h b/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
index 1259e53d9296..29f917517299 100644
--- a/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
+++ b/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
@@ -359,8 +359,6 @@ extern void fsnotify_clear_vfsmount_marks_by_group(struct fsnotify_group *group)
 extern void fsnotify_clear_inode_marks_by_group(struct fsnotify_group *group);
 /* run all the marks in a group, and clear all of the marks where mark->flags & flags is true*/
 extern void fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group_flags(struct fsnotify_group *group, unsigned int flags);
-/* run all the marks in a group, and flag them to be freed */
-extern void fsnotify_clear_marks_by_group(struct fsnotify_group *group);
 extern void fsnotify_get_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark);
 extern void fsnotify_put_mark(struct fsnotify_mark *mark);
 extern void fsnotify_unmount_inodes(struct super_block *sb);
