diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-deploy.c b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-deploy.c
index a05ca30d..a49428d2 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-deploy.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-deploy.c
@@ -1712,6 +1712,18 @@ ostree_sysroot_write_deployments (OstreeSysroot     *self,
                                   GPtrArray         *new_deployments,
                                   GCancellable      *cancellable,
                                   GError           **error)
+{
+  return _ostree_sysroot_write_deployments_internal (self, new_deployments,
+                                                     OSTREE_SYSROOT_CLEANUP_ALL,
+                                                     cancellable, error);
+}
+
+gboolean
+_ostree_sysroot_write_deployments_internal (OstreeSysroot     *self,
+                                            GPtrArray         *new_deployments,
+                                            OstreeSysrootCleanupFlags cleanup_flags,
+                                            GCancellable      *cancellable,
+                                            GError           **error)
 {
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
   guint i;
@@ -1937,7 +1949,8 @@ ostree_sysroot_write_deployments (OstreeSysroot     *self,
 
   /* And finally, cleanup of any leftover data.
    */
-  if (!ostree_sysroot_cleanup (self, cancellable, error))
+  if (!_ostree_sysroot_piecemeal_cleanup (self, cleanup_flags,
+                                          cancellable, error))
     {
       g_prefix_error (error, "Performing final cleanup: ");
       goto out;
diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-private.h b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-private.h
index 1fa8e83c..b2def7fa 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-private.h
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot-private.h
@@ -121,4 +121,10 @@ gboolean _ostree_sysroot_piecemeal_cleanup (OstreeSysroot *sysroot,
                                             GCancellable *cancellable,
                                             GError **error);
 
+gboolean _ostree_sysroot_write_deployments_internal (OstreeSysroot     *self,
+                                                     GPtrArray         *new_deployments,
+                                                     OstreeSysrootCleanupFlags cleanup_flags,
+                                                     GCancellable      *cancellable,
+                                                     GError           **error);
+
 G_END_DECLS
diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot.c b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot.c
index 82f864cb..37063e28 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-sysroot.c
@@ -1591,15 +1591,11 @@ ostree_sysroot_simple_write_deployment (OstreeSysroot      *sysroot,
       added_new = TRUE;
     }
 
-  if (!ostree_sysroot_write_deployments (sysroot, new_deployments, cancellable, error))
+  if (!_ostree_sysroot_write_deployments_internal (sysroot, new_deployments,
+                                                   postclean ? OSTREE_SYSROOT_CLEANUP_ALL : 0,
+                                                   cancellable, error))
     goto out;
 
-  if (postclean)
-    {
-      if (!ostree_sysroot_cleanup (sysroot, cancellable, error))
-        goto out;
-    }
-
   ret = TRUE;
  out:
   return ret;