diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
index 340f8679b6e7..6a70faeee6fa 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup_temp(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *workdir)
 	return temp;
 }
 
-/* caller holds i_mutex on workdir */
 static struct dentry *ovl_whiteout(struct ovl_fs *ofs)
 {
 	int err;
@@ -85,6 +84,7 @@ static struct dentry *ovl_whiteout(struct ovl_fs *ofs)
 	struct dentry *workdir = ofs->workdir;
 	struct inode *wdir = workdir->d_inode;
 
+	inode_lock_nested(wdir, I_MUTEX_PARENT);
 	if (!ofs->whiteout) {
 		whiteout = ovl_lookup_temp(ofs, workdir);
 		if (IS_ERR(whiteout))
@@ -118,14 +118,13 @@ static struct dentry *ovl_whiteout(struct ovl_fs *ofs)
 	whiteout = ofs->whiteout;
 	ofs->whiteout = NULL;
 out:
+	inode_unlock(wdir);
 	return whiteout;
 }
 
-/* Caller must hold i_mutex on both workdir and dir */
 int ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *dir,
 			     struct dentry *dentry)
 {
-	struct inode *wdir = ofs->workdir->d_inode;
 	struct dentry *whiteout;
 	int err;
 	int flags = 0;
@@ -138,18 +137,22 @@ int ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *dir,
 	if (d_is_dir(dentry))
 		flags = RENAME_EXCHANGE;
 
-	err = ovl_do_rename(ofs, ofs->workdir, whiteout, dir, dentry, flags);
+	err = ovl_lock_rename_workdir(ofs->workdir, whiteout, dir, dentry);
+	if (!err) {
+		err = ovl_do_rename(ofs, ofs->workdir, whiteout, dir, dentry, flags);
+		unlock_rename(ofs->workdir, dir);
+	}
 	if (err)
 		goto kill_whiteout;
 	if (flags)
-		ovl_cleanup(ofs, wdir, dentry);
+		ovl_cleanup_unlocked(ofs, ofs->workdir, dentry);
 
 out:
 	dput(whiteout);
 	return err;
 
 kill_whiteout:
-	ovl_cleanup(ofs, wdir, whiteout);
+	ovl_cleanup_unlocked(ofs, ofs->workdir, whiteout);
 	goto out;
 }
 
@@ -783,16 +786,11 @@ static int ovl_remove_and_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry,
 		goto out_dput_upper;
 	}
 
-	err = ovl_lock_rename_workdir(workdir, NULL, upperdir, upper);
-	if (err)
-		goto out_dput_upper;
-
 	err = ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(ofs, upperdir, upper);
 	if (!err)
 		ovl_dir_modified(dentry->d_parent, true);
 
 	d_drop(dentry);
-	unlock_rename(workdir, upperdir);
 out_dput_upper:
 	dput(upper);
 out_dput:
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c b/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
index e2d0c314df6c..ecbf39a49d57 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/readdir.c
@@ -1230,11 +1230,7 @@ int ovl_indexdir_cleanup(struct ovl_fs *ofs)
 			 * Whiteout orphan index to block future open by
 			 * handle after overlay nlink dropped to zero.
 			 */
-			err = ovl_parent_lock(indexdir, index);
-			if (!err) {
-				err = ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(ofs, indexdir, index);
-				ovl_parent_unlock(indexdir);
-			}
+			err = ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(ofs, indexdir, index);
 		} else {
 			/* Cleanup orphan index entries */
 			err = ovl_cleanup_unlocked(ofs, indexdir, index);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/util.c b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
index 7a1ca9380601..a63fda9ef6fd 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/util.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
@@ -1119,12 +1119,8 @@ static void ovl_cleanup_index(struct dentry *dentry)
 		index = NULL;
 	} else if (ovl_index_all(dentry->d_sb)) {
 		/* Whiteout orphan index to block future open by handle */
-		err = ovl_parent_lock(indexdir, index);
-		if (!err) {
-			err = ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(OVL_FS(dentry->d_sb),
-						       indexdir, index);
-			ovl_parent_unlock(indexdir);
-		}
+		err = ovl_cleanup_and_whiteout(OVL_FS(dentry->d_sb),
+					       indexdir, index);
 	} else {
 		/* Cleanup orphan index entries */
 		err = ovl_cleanup_unlocked(ofs, indexdir, index);
@@ -1232,10 +1228,6 @@ int ovl_lock_rename_workdir(struct dentry *workdir, struct dentry *work,
 {
 	struct dentry *trap;
 
-	/* Workdir should not be the same as upperdir */
-	if (workdir == upperdir)
-		goto err;
-
 	/* Workdir should not be subdir of upperdir and vice versa */
 	trap = lock_rename(workdir, upperdir);
 	if (IS_ERR(trap))