diff --git a/app/vmselect/netstorage/tmp_blocks_file.go b/app/vmselect/netstorage/tmp_blocks_file.go
index 6763bcbda..b68fc6de4 100644
--- a/app/vmselect/netstorage/tmp_blocks_file.go
+++ b/app/vmselect/netstorage/tmp_blocks_file.go
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@ func InitTmpBlocksDir(tmpDirPath string) {
 		tmpDirPath = os.TempDir()
 	}
 	tmpBlocksDir = tmpDirPath + "/searchResults"
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(tmpBlocksDir); err != nil {
-		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove %q: %s", tmpBlocksDir, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(tmpBlocksDir)
 	if err := fs.MkdirAllIfNotExist(tmpBlocksDir); err != nil {
 		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot create %q: %s", tmpBlocksDir, err)
 	}
diff --git a/lib/fs/fs.go b/lib/fs/fs.go
index 2018b3147..9f03285fd 100644
--- a/lib/fs/fs.go
+++ b/lib/fs/fs.go
@@ -172,9 +172,7 @@ func RemoveDirContents(dir string) {
 			continue
 		}
 		fullPath := dir + "/" + name
-		if err := RemoveAllHard(fullPath); err != nil {
-			logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove %q: %s", fullPath, err)
-		}
+		MustRemoveAll(fullPath)
 	}
 	MustSyncPath(dir)
 }
@@ -198,31 +196,20 @@ func IsPathExist(path string) bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-// MustRemoveAllSynced removes path with all the contents
-// and syncs the parent directory, so it no longer contains the path.
-func MustRemoveAllSynced(path string) {
-	MustRemoveAll(path)
-	parentDirPath := filepath.Dir(path)
-	MustSyncPath(parentDirPath)
-}
-
 // MustRemoveAll removes path with all the contents.
-func MustRemoveAll(path string) {
-	if err := RemoveAllHard(path); err != nil {
-		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove %q: %s", path, err)
-	}
-}
-
-// RemoveAllHard removes path with all the contents.
 //
 // It properly handles NFS issue https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/61 .
-func RemoveAllHard(path string) error {
+func MustRemoveAll(path string) {
 	err := os.RemoveAll(path)
 	if err == nil {
-		return nil
+		// Make sure the parent directory doesn't contain references
+		// to the current directory.
+		parentDirPath := filepath.Dir(path)
+		MustSyncPath(parentDirPath)
+		return
 	}
 	if !isTemporaryNFSError(err) {
-		return err
+		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove %q: %s", path, err)
 	}
 	// NFS prevents from removing directories with open files.
 	// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/61 .
@@ -230,9 +217,8 @@ func RemoveAllHard(path string) error {
 	select {
 	case removeDirCh <- path:
 	default:
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot schedule %s for removal, since the removal queue is full (%d entries)", path, cap(removeDirCh))
+		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot schedule %s for removal, since the removal queue is full (%d entries)", path, cap(removeDirCh))
 	}
-	return nil
 }
 
 var removeDirCh = make(chan string, 1024)
@@ -257,6 +243,10 @@ func dirRemover() {
 			}
 			time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 		}
+		// Make sure the parent directory doesn't contain references
+		// to the current directory.
+		parentDirPath := filepath.Dir(path)
+		MustSyncPath(parentDirPath)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/mergeset/table.go b/lib/mergeset/table.go
index 504b04027..e73e08c16 100644
--- a/lib/mergeset/table.go
+++ b/lib/mergeset/table.go
@@ -846,17 +846,13 @@ func openParts(path string) ([]*partWrapper, error) {
 	}
 
 	txnDir := path + "/txn"
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(txnDir); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot remove %q: %s", txnDir, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(txnDir)
 	if err := fs.MkdirAllFailIfExist(txnDir); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot create %q: %s", txnDir, err)
 	}
 
 	tmpDir := path + "/tmp"
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(tmpDir); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot remove %q: %s", tmpDir, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(tmpDir)
 	if err := fs.MkdirAllFailIfExist(tmpDir); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot create %q: %s", tmpDir, err)
 	}
@@ -1033,9 +1029,7 @@ func runTransaction(txnLock *sync.RWMutex, pathPrefix, txnPath string) error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid path to remove: %s", err)
 		}
-		if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(path); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cannot remove %q: %s", path, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustRemoveAll(path)
 	}
 
 	// Move the new part to new directory.
diff --git a/lib/storage/index_db.go b/lib/storage/index_db.go
index f8dcdd76b..357b72adf 100644
--- a/lib/storage/index_db.go
+++ b/lib/storage/index_db.go
@@ -266,9 +266,7 @@ func (db *indexDB) decRef() {
 	}
 
 	logger.Infof("dropping indexDB %q", tbPath)
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(tbPath); err != nil {
-		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove %q: %s", tbPath, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(tbPath)
 	logger.Infof("indexDB %q has been dropped", tbPath)
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/storage/partition.go b/lib/storage/partition.go
index 796d9b448..0803f16a2 100644
--- a/lib/storage/partition.go
+++ b/lib/storage/partition.go
@@ -212,14 +212,8 @@ func createPartition(timestamp int64, smallPartitionsPath, bigPartitionsPath str
 // The pt must be detached from table before calling pt.Drop.
 func (pt *partition) Drop() {
 	logger.Infof("dropping partition %q at smallPartsPath=%q, bigPartsPath=%q", pt.name, pt.smallPartsPath, pt.bigPartsPath)
-
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(pt.smallPartsPath); err != nil {
-		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove small parts directory %q: %s", pt.smallPartsPath, err)
-	}
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(pt.bigPartsPath); err != nil {
-		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot remove big parts directory %q: %s", pt.bigPartsPath, err)
-	}
-
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(pt.smallPartsPath)
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(pt.bigPartsPath)
 	logger.Infof("partition %q has been dropped", pt.name)
 }
 
@@ -1223,13 +1217,9 @@ func openParts(pathPrefix1, pathPrefix2, path string) ([]*partWrapper, error) {
 	}
 
 	txnDir := path + "/txn"
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(txnDir); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot delete transaction directory %q: %s", txnDir, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(txnDir)
 	tmpDir := path + "/tmp"
-	if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(tmpDir); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot remove temporary directory %q: %s", tmpDir, err)
-	}
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(tmpDir)
 	if err := createPartitionDirs(path); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot create directories for partition %q: %s", path, err)
 	}
@@ -1408,9 +1398,7 @@ func runTransaction(txnLock *sync.RWMutex, pathPrefix1, pathPrefix2, txnPath str
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid path to remove: %s", err)
 		}
-		if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(path); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cannot remove %q: %s", path, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustRemoveAll(path)
 	}
 
 	// Move the new part to new directory.
@@ -1438,9 +1426,7 @@ func runTransaction(txnLock *sync.RWMutex, pathPrefix1, pathPrefix2, txnPath str
 		}
 	} else {
 		// Just remove srcPath.
-		if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(srcPath); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cannot remove %q: %s", srcPath, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustRemoveAll(srcPath)
 	}
 
 	// Flush pathPrefix* directory metadata to the underying storage.
diff --git a/lib/storage/storage.go b/lib/storage/storage.go
index 99c4892c7..de1e2ce02 100644
--- a/lib/storage/storage.go
+++ b/lib/storage/storage.go
@@ -246,8 +246,8 @@ func (s *Storage) DeleteSnapshot(snapshotName string) error {
 
 	s.tb.MustDeleteSnapshot(snapshotName)
 	idbPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/indexdb/snapshots/%s", s.path, snapshotName)
-	fs.MustRemoveAllSynced(idbPath)
-	fs.MustRemoveAllSynced(snapshotPath)
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(idbPath)
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(snapshotPath)
 
 	logger.Infof("deleted snapshot %q in %s", snapshotPath, time.Since(startTime))
 
@@ -893,9 +893,7 @@ func openIndexDBTables(path string, metricIDCache, metricNameCache *fastcache.Ca
 	for _, tn := range tableNames[:len(tableNames)-2] {
 		pathToRemove := path + "/" + tn
 		logger.Infof("removing obsolete indexdb dir %q...", pathToRemove)
-		if err := fs.RemoveAllHard(pathToRemove); err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot remove obsolete indexdb dir %q: %s", pathToRemove, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustRemoveAll(pathToRemove)
 		logger.Infof("removed obsolete indexdb dir %q", pathToRemove)
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/storage/table.go b/lib/storage/table.go
index 0cb719f1b..1cde1a904 100644
--- a/lib/storage/table.go
+++ b/lib/storage/table.go
@@ -176,9 +176,9 @@ func (tb *table) CreateSnapshot(snapshotName string) (string, string, error) {
 // MustDeleteSnapshot deletes snapshot with the given snapshotName.
 func (tb *table) MustDeleteSnapshot(snapshotName string) {
 	smallDir := fmt.Sprintf("%s/small/snapshots/%s", tb.path, snapshotName)
-	fs.MustRemoveAllSynced(smallDir)
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(smallDir)
 	bigDir := fmt.Sprintf("%s/big/snapshots/%s", tb.path, snapshotName)
-	fs.MustRemoveAllSynced(bigDir)
+	fs.MustRemoveAll(bigDir)
 }
 
 func (tb *table) addPartitionNolock(pt *partition) {