diff --git a/drivers/edac/edac_mc.c b/drivers/edac/edac_mc.c
index 7243b88f81d8..058efcd9032e 100644
--- a/drivers/edac/edac_mc.c
+++ b/drivers/edac/edac_mc.c
@@ -278,6 +278,12 @@ void *edac_align_ptr(void **p, unsigned int size, int n_elems)
 
 static void _edac_mc_free(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 {
+	put_device(&mci->dev);
+}
+
+static void mci_release(struct device *dev)
+{
+	struct mem_ctl_info *mci = container_of(dev, struct mem_ctl_info, dev);
 	struct csrow_info *csr;
 	int i, chn, row;
 
@@ -371,6 +377,9 @@ struct mem_ctl_info *edac_mc_alloc(unsigned int mc_num,
 	if (mci == NULL)
 		return NULL;
 
+	mci->dev.release = mci_release;
+	device_initialize(&mci->dev);
+
 	/* Adjust pointers so they point within the memory we just allocated
 	 * rather than an imaginary chunk of memory located at address 0.
 	 */
@@ -505,16 +514,9 @@ void edac_mc_free(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 {
 	edac_dbg(1, "\n");
 
-	/* If we're not yet registered with sysfs free only what was allocated
-	 * in edac_mc_alloc().
-	 */
-	if (!device_is_registered(&mci->dev)) {
-		_edac_mc_free(mci);
-		return;
-	}
+	edac_remove_sysfs_mci_device(mci);
 
-	/* the mci instance is freed here, when the sysfs object is dropped */
-	edac_unregister_sysfs(mci);
+	_edac_mc_free(mci);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(edac_mc_free);
 
diff --git a/drivers/edac/edac_mc_sysfs.c b/drivers/edac/edac_mc_sysfs.c
index 0367554e7437..408bace699dc 100644
--- a/drivers/edac/edac_mc_sysfs.c
+++ b/drivers/edac/edac_mc_sysfs.c
@@ -274,17 +274,8 @@ static const struct attribute_group *csrow_attr_groups[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static void csrow_attr_release(struct device *dev)
-{
-	struct csrow_info *csrow = container_of(dev, struct csrow_info, dev);
-
-	edac_dbg(1, "device %s released\n", dev_name(dev));
-	kfree(csrow);
-}
-
 static const struct device_type csrow_attr_type = {
 	.groups		= csrow_attr_groups,
-	.release	= csrow_attr_release,
 };
 
 /*
@@ -390,6 +381,14 @@ static const struct attribute_group *csrow_dev_groups[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
+static void csrow_release(struct device *dev)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Nothing to do. We just unregister sysfs here. The mci
+	 * device owns the data and will also release it.
+	 */
+}
+
 static inline int nr_pages_per_csrow(struct csrow_info *csrow)
 {
 	int chan, nr_pages = 0;
@@ -408,6 +407,7 @@ static int edac_create_csrow_object(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 
 	csrow->dev.type = &csrow_attr_type;
 	csrow->dev.groups = csrow_dev_groups;
+	csrow->dev.release = csrow_release;
 	device_initialize(&csrow->dev);
 	csrow->dev.parent = &mci->dev;
 	csrow->mci = mci;
@@ -444,11 +444,8 @@ static int edac_create_csrow_objects(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 
 error:
 	for (--i; i >= 0; i--) {
-		csrow = mci->csrows[i];
-		if (!nr_pages_per_csrow(csrow))
-			continue;
-
-		device_del(&mci->csrows[i]->dev);
+		if (device_is_registered(&mci->csrows[i]->dev))
+			device_unregister(&mci->csrows[i]->dev);
 	}
 
 	return err;
@@ -457,15 +454,13 @@ static int edac_create_csrow_objects(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 static void edac_delete_csrow_objects(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 {
 	int i;
-	struct csrow_info *csrow;
 
-	for (i = mci->nr_csrows - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-		csrow = mci->csrows[i];
-		if (!nr_pages_per_csrow(csrow))
-			continue;
-		device_unregister(&mci->csrows[i]->dev);
+	for (i = 0; i < mci->nr_csrows; i++) {
+		if (device_is_registered(&mci->csrows[i]->dev))
+			device_unregister(&mci->csrows[i]->dev);
 	}
 }
+
 #endif
 
 /*
@@ -606,19 +601,18 @@ static const struct attribute_group *dimm_attr_groups[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static void dimm_attr_release(struct device *dev)
-{
-	struct dimm_info *dimm = container_of(dev, struct dimm_info, dev);
-
-	edac_dbg(1, "device %s released\n", dev_name(dev));
-	kfree(dimm);
-}
-
 static const struct device_type dimm_attr_type = {
 	.groups		= dimm_attr_groups,
-	.release	= dimm_attr_release,
 };
 
+static void dimm_release(struct device *dev)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Nothing to do. We just unregister sysfs here. The mci
+	 * device owns the data and will also release it.
+	 */
+}
+
 /* Create a DIMM object under specifed memory controller device */
 static int edac_create_dimm_object(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 				   struct dimm_info *dimm)
@@ -627,6 +621,7 @@ static int edac_create_dimm_object(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 	dimm->mci = mci;
 
 	dimm->dev.type = &dimm_attr_type;
+	dimm->dev.release = dimm_release;
 	device_initialize(&dimm->dev);
 
 	dimm->dev.parent = &mci->dev;
@@ -891,17 +886,8 @@ static const struct attribute_group *mci_attr_groups[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static void mci_attr_release(struct device *dev)
-{
-	struct mem_ctl_info *mci = container_of(dev, struct mem_ctl_info, dev);
-
-	edac_dbg(1, "device %s released\n", dev_name(dev));
-	kfree(mci);
-}
-
 static const struct device_type mci_attr_type = {
 	.groups		= mci_attr_groups,
-	.release	= mci_attr_release,
 };
 
 /*
@@ -920,8 +906,6 @@ int edac_create_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 
 	/* get the /sys/devices/system/edac subsys reference */
 	mci->dev.type = &mci_attr_type;
-	device_initialize(&mci->dev);
-
 	mci->dev.parent = mci_pdev;
 	mci->dev.groups = groups;
 	dev_set_name(&mci->dev, "mc%d", mci->mc_idx);
@@ -931,7 +915,7 @@ int edac_create_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 	err = device_add(&mci->dev);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		edac_dbg(1, "failure: create device %s\n", dev_name(&mci->dev));
-		put_device(&mci->dev);
+		/* no put_device() here, free mci with _edac_mc_free() */
 		return err;
 	}
 
@@ -947,24 +931,20 @@ int edac_create_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 
 		err = edac_create_dimm_object(mci, dimm);
 		if (err)
-			goto fail_unregister_dimm;
+			goto fail;
 	}
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_EDAC_LEGACY_SYSFS
 	err = edac_create_csrow_objects(mci);
 	if (err < 0)
-		goto fail_unregister_dimm;
+		goto fail;
 #endif
 
 	edac_create_debugfs_nodes(mci);
 	return 0;
 
-fail_unregister_dimm:
-	mci_for_each_dimm(mci, dimm) {
-		if (device_is_registered(&dimm->dev))
-			device_unregister(&dimm->dev);
-	}
-	device_unregister(&mci->dev);
+fail:
+	edac_remove_sysfs_mci_device(mci);
 
 	return err;
 }
@@ -976,6 +956,9 @@ void edac_remove_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 {
 	struct dimm_info *dimm;
 
+	if (!device_is_registered(&mci->dev))
+		return;
+
 	edac_dbg(0, "\n");
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_EDAC_DEBUG
@@ -986,17 +969,14 @@ void edac_remove_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
 #endif
 
 	mci_for_each_dimm(mci, dimm) {
-		if (dimm->nr_pages == 0)
+		if (!device_is_registered(&dimm->dev))
 			continue;
 		edac_dbg(1, "unregistering device %s\n", dev_name(&dimm->dev));
 		device_unregister(&dimm->dev);
 	}
-}
 
-void edac_unregister_sysfs(struct mem_ctl_info *mci)
-{
-	edac_dbg(1, "unregistering device %s\n", dev_name(&mci->dev));
-	device_unregister(&mci->dev);
+	/* only remove the device, but keep mci */
+	device_del(&mci->dev);
 }
 
 static void mc_attr_release(struct device *dev)
@@ -1010,9 +990,6 @@ static void mc_attr_release(struct device *dev)
 	kfree(dev);
 }
 
-static const struct device_type mc_attr_type = {
-	.release	= mc_attr_release,
-};
 /*
  * Init/exit code for the module. Basically, creates/removes /sys/class/rc
  */
@@ -1025,11 +1002,10 @@ int __init edac_mc_sysfs_init(void)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	mci_pdev->bus = edac_get_sysfs_subsys();
-	mci_pdev->type = &mc_attr_type;
-	device_initialize(mci_pdev);
-	dev_set_name(mci_pdev, "mc");
+	mci_pdev->release = mc_attr_release;
+	mci_pdev->init_name = "mc";
 
-	err = device_add(mci_pdev);
+	err = device_register(mci_pdev);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		edac_dbg(1, "failure: create device %s\n", dev_name(mci_pdev));
 		put_device(mci_pdev);
diff --git a/drivers/edac/edac_module.h b/drivers/edac/edac_module.h
index 388427d378b1..aa1f91688eb8 100644
--- a/drivers/edac/edac_module.h
+++ b/drivers/edac/edac_module.h
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ void edac_mc_sysfs_exit(void);
 extern int edac_create_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci,
 					const struct attribute_group **groups);
 extern void edac_remove_sysfs_mci_device(struct mem_ctl_info *mci);
-void edac_unregister_sysfs(struct mem_ctl_info *mci);
 extern int edac_get_log_ue(void);
 extern int edac_get_log_ce(void);
 extern int edac_get_panic_on_ue(void);
