diff --git a/src/bees-hash.cc b/src/bees-hash.cc
index fb0abbc..4877b7d 100644
--- a/src/bees-hash.cc
+++ b/src/bees-hash.cc
@@ -106,12 +106,6 @@ BeesHashTable::flush_dirty_extent(uint64_t extent_index)
 	BEESNOTE("flushing extent #" << extent_index << " of " << m_extents << " extents");
 
 	auto lock = lock_extent_by_index(extent_index);
-
-	// Not dirty, nothing to do
-	if (!m_extent_metadata.at(extent_index).m_dirty) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
 	bool wrote_extent = false;
 
 	catch_all([&]() {
@@ -125,9 +119,6 @@ BeesHashTable::flush_dirty_extent(uint64_t extent_index)
 		// Copy the extent because we might be stuck writing for a while
 		ByteVector extent_copy(dirty_extent, dirty_extent_end);
 
-		// Mark extent non-dirty while we still hold the lock
-		m_extent_metadata.at(extent_index).m_dirty = false;
-
 		// Release the lock
 		lock.unlock();
 
@@ -139,6 +130,10 @@ BeesHashTable::flush_dirty_extent(uint64_t extent_index)
 		// const size_t dirty_extent_size   = dirty_extent_end - dirty_extent;
 		// bees_unreadahead(m_fd, dirty_extent_offset, dirty_extent_size);
 
+		// Mark extent clean if write was successful
+		lock.lock();
+		m_extent_metadata.at(extent_index).m_dirty = false;
+
 		wrote_extent = true;
 	});
 
@@ -152,6 +147,13 @@ BeesHashTable::flush_dirty_extents(bool slowly)
 
 	uint64_t wrote_extents = 0;
 	for (size_t extent_index = 0; extent_index < m_extents; ++extent_index) {
+		// Skip the clean ones
+		auto lock = lock_extent_by_index(extent_index);
+		if (!m_extent_metadata.at(extent_index).m_dirty) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		lock.unlock();
+
 		if (flush_dirty_extent(extent_index)) {
 			++wrote_extents;
 			if (slowly) {
diff --git a/src/bees.h b/src/bees.h
index 41d8814..ffedd7d 100644
--- a/src/bees.h
+++ b/src/bees.h
@@ -415,6 +415,7 @@ public:
 	bool		push_random_hash_addr(HashType hash, AddrType addr);
 	void		erase_hash_addr(HashType hash, AddrType addr);
 	bool		push_front_hash_addr(HashType hash, AddrType addr);
+	bool            flush_dirty_extent(uint64_t extent_index);
 
 private:
 	string		m_filename;
@@ -474,7 +475,6 @@ private:
 	void fetch_missing_extent_by_index(uint64_t extent_index);
 	void set_extent_dirty_locked(uint64_t extent_index);
 	size_t flush_dirty_extents(bool slowly);
-	bool flush_dirty_extent(uint64_t extent_index);
 
 	size_t			hash_to_extent_index(HashType ht);
 	unique_lock<mutex>	lock_extent_by_hash(HashType ht);