diff --git a/src/libudev/libudev-list.c b/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
index 3b2a2cdee4b..69efc1013c1 100644
--- a/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
+++ b/src/libudev/libudev-list.c
@@ -39,9 +39,10 @@ static struct udev_list_entry *udev_list_entry_free(struct udev_list_entry *entr
                 return NULL;
 
         if (entry->list) {
-                if (entry->list->unique)
+                if (entry->list->unique && entry->name)
                         hashmap_remove(entry->list->unique_entries, entry->name);
-                else
+
+                if (!entry->list->unique || entry->list->uptodate)
                         LIST_REMOVE(entries, entry->list->entries, entry);
         }
 
@@ -70,9 +71,9 @@ struct udev_list *udev_list_new(bool unique) {
 struct udev_list_entry *udev_list_entry_add(struct udev_list *list, const char *_name, const char *_value) {
         _cleanup_(udev_list_entry_freep) struct udev_list_entry *entry = NULL;
         _cleanup_free_ char *name = NULL, *value = NULL;
-        int r;
 
         assert(list);
+        assert(_name);
 
         name = strdup(_name);
         if (!name)
@@ -89,26 +90,22 @@ struct udev_list_entry *udev_list_entry_add(struct udev_list *list, const char *
                 return NULL;
 
         *entry = (struct udev_list_entry) {
-                .list = list,
                 .name = TAKE_PTR(name),
                 .value = TAKE_PTR(value),
         };
 
         if (list->unique) {
-                r = hashmap_ensure_allocated(&list->unique_entries, &string_hash_ops);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return NULL;
-
                 udev_list_entry_free(hashmap_get(list->unique_entries, entry->name));
 
-                r = hashmap_put(list->unique_entries, entry->name, entry);
-                if (r < 0)
+                if (hashmap_ensure_put(&list->unique_entries, &string_hash_ops, entry->name, entry) < 0)
                         return NULL;
 
                 list->uptodate = false;
         } else
                 LIST_APPEND(entries, list->entries, entry);
 
+        entry->list = list;
+
         return TAKE_PTR(entry);
 }
 
@@ -119,8 +116,8 @@ void udev_list_cleanup(struct udev_list *list) {
                 return;
 
         if (list->unique) {
-                hashmap_clear_with_destructor(list->unique_entries, udev_list_entry_free);
                 list->uptodate = false;
+                hashmap_clear_with_destructor(list->unique_entries, udev_list_entry_free);
         } else
                 LIST_FOREACH_SAFE(entries, i, n, list->entries)
                         udev_list_entry_free(i);