diff --git a/src/backups.js b/src/backups.js
index 7e0c40651..26955c7ba 100644
--- a/src/backups.js
+++ b/src/backups.js
@@ -465,43 +465,33 @@ function cleanupAppBackups(backupConfig, referencedAppBackups, callback) {
 
     const now = new Date();
 
-    apps.getAll(function (error, result) {
+    // we clean app backups of any state because the ones to keep are determined by the box cleanup code
+    backupdb.getByTypePaged(backupdb.BACKUP_TYPE_APP, 1, 1000, function (error, appBackups) {
         if (error) return callback(new BackupsError(BackupsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
 
-        result.forEach(function (app) {
-            if (!app.lastBackupId) return;
+        async.eachSeries(appBackups, function iterator(backup, iteratorDone) {
+            if (referencedAppBackups.indexOf(backup.id) !== -1) return iteratorDone();
+            if ((now - backup.creationTime) < (backupConfig.retentionSecs * 1000)) return iteratorDone();
 
-            referencedAppBackups.push(app.lastBackupId);
-        });
+            debug('cleanup: removing %s', backup.id);
 
-        // we clean app backups of any state because the ones to keep are determined by the box cleanup code
-        backupdb.getByTypePaged(backupdb.BACKUP_TYPE_APP, 1, 1000, function (error, appBackups) {
-            if (error) return callback(new BackupsError(BackupsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
+            api(backupConfig.provider).removeBackups(backupConfig, [ backup.id ], function (error) {
+                if (error) {
+                    debug('cleanup: error removing backup %j : %s', backup, error.message);
+                    iteratorDone();
+                }
 
-            async.eachSeries(appBackups, function iterator(backup, iteratorDone) {
-                if (referencedAppBackups.indexOf(backup.id) !== -1) return iteratorDone();
-                if ((now - backup.creationTime) < (backupConfig.retentionSecs * 1000)) return iteratorDone();
+                backupdb.del(backup.id, function (error) {
+                    if (error) debug('cleanup: error removing from database', error);
+                    else debug('cleanup: removed %s', backup.id);
 
-                debug('cleanup: removing %s', backup.id);
-
-                api(backupConfig.provider).removeBackups(backupConfig, [ backup.id ], function (error) {
-                    if (error) {
-                        debug('cleanup: error removing backup %j : %s', backup, error.message);
-                        iteratorDone();
-                    }
-
-                    backupdb.del(backup.id, function (error) {
-                        if (error) debug('cleanup: error removing from database', error);
-                        else debug('cleanup: removed %s', backup.id);
-
-                        iteratorDone();
-                    });
+                    iteratorDone();
                 });
-            }, function () {
-                debug('cleanup: done cleaning app backups');
-
-                callback();
             });
+        }, function () {
+            debug('cleanup: done cleaning app backups');
+
+            callback();
         });
     });
 }
diff --git a/src/test/backups-test.js b/src/test/backups-test.js
index 50e472c0f..329d64f45 100644
--- a/src/test/backups-test.js
+++ b/src/test/backups-test.js
@@ -159,55 +159,5 @@ describe('backups', function () {
                 }, 2000);
             });
         });
-
-        it('succeeds for app backups not referenced by a box backup or app', function (done) {
-            var APP_0 = {
-                id: 'appid-0',
-                appStoreId: 'appStoreId-0',
-                dnsRecordId: null,
-                installationState: appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_INSTALL,
-                installationProgress: null,
-                runState: null,
-                location: 'some-location-0',
-                manifest: { version: '0.1', dockerImage: 'docker/app0', healthCheckPath: '/', httpPort: 80, title: 'app0' },
-                httpPort: null,
-                containerId: null,
-                portBindings: { port: 5678 },
-                health: null,
-                accessRestriction: null,
-                lastBackupId: null,
-                oldConfig: null,
-                memoryLimit: 4294967296,
-                altDomain: null,
-                xFrameOptions: 'DENY',
-                sso: true,
-                debugMode: null
-            };
-
-            async.eachSeries([BACKUP_0_APP_0, BACKUP_0_APP_1], backupdb.add, function (error) {
-                expect(error).to.not.be.ok();
-
-                // wait for expiration
-                setTimeout(function () {
-                    // now reference one backup
-                    APP_0.lastBackupId = BACKUP_0_APP_0.id;
-
-                    appdb.add(APP_0.id, APP_0.appStoreId, APP_0.manifest, APP_0.location, APP_0.portBindings, APP_0, function (error) {
-                        expect(error).to.not.be.ok();
-
-                        backups.cleanup(function (error) {
-                            expect(error).to.not.be.ok();
-
-                            backupdb.getByTypePaged(backupdb.BACKUP_TYPE_APP, 1, 1000, function (error, result) {
-                                expect(error).to.not.be.ok();
-                                expect(result.length).to.equal(3);
-
-                                done();
-                            });
-                        });
-                    });
-                }, 2000);
-            });
-        });
     });
 });