diff --git a/core/coreunix/metadata.go b/core/coreunix/metadata.go
index fbea51c21..c704db981 100644
--- a/core/coreunix/metadata.go
+++ b/core/coreunix/metadata.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func AddMetadataTo(n *core.IpfsNode, skey string, m *ft.Metadata) (string, error
 	}
 
 	mdnode.SetData(mdata)
-	if err := mdnode.AddNodeLinkClean("file", nd); err != nil {
+	if err := mdnode.AddNodeLink("file", nd); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 
diff --git a/importer/helpers/helpers.go b/importer/helpers/helpers.go
index a6d8ca069..3f51d325a 100644
--- a/importer/helpers/helpers.go
+++ b/importer/helpers/helpers.go
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ func (n *UnixfsNode) AddChild(child *UnixfsNode, db *DagBuilderHelper) error {
 
 	// Add a link to this node without storing a reference to the memory
 	// This way, we avoid nodes building up and consuming all of our RAM
-	err = n.node.AddNodeLinkClean("", childnode)
+	err = n.node.AddNodeLink("", childnode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/merkledag/merkledag_test.go b/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
index 181ccbb88..ac4805363 100644
--- a/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
+++ b/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ func TestFetchFailure(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		err = top.AddNodeLinkClean(fmt.Sprintf("AA%d", i), nd)
+		err = top.AddNodeLink(fmt.Sprintf("AA%d", i), nd)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ func TestFetchFailure(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		err = top.AddNodeLinkClean(fmt.Sprintf("BB%d", i), nd)
+		err = top.AddNodeLink(fmt.Sprintf("BB%d", i), nd)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -597,19 +597,19 @@ func TestEnumerateAsyncFailsNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	parent := new(ProtoNode)
-	if err := parent.AddNodeLinkClean("a", a); err != nil {
+	if err := parent.AddNodeLink("a", a); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	if err := parent.AddNodeLinkClean("b", b); err != nil {
+	if err := parent.AddNodeLink("b", b); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	if err := parent.AddNodeLinkClean("c", c); err != nil {
+	if err := parent.AddNodeLink("c", c); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	if err := parent.AddNodeLinkClean("d", d); err != nil {
+	if err := parent.AddNodeLink("d", d); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
@@ -696,7 +696,7 @@ func mkNodeWithChildren(getChild func() *ProtoNode, width int) *ProtoNode {
 
 	for i := 0; i < width; i++ {
 		c := getChild()
-		if err := cur.AddNodeLinkClean(fmt.Sprint(i), c); err != nil {
+		if err := cur.AddNodeLink(fmt.Sprint(i), c); err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/merkledag/node.go b/merkledag/node.go
index a33dfcf6c..5ff66e76c 100644
--- a/merkledag/node.go
+++ b/merkledag/node.go
@@ -104,19 +104,6 @@ func (n *ProtoNode) AddNodeLink(name string, that ipld.Node) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// AddNodeLinkClean adds a link to another node. without keeping a reference to
-// the child node
-func (n *ProtoNode) AddNodeLinkClean(name string, that ipld.Node) error {
-	n.encoded = nil
-	lnk, err := ipld.MakeLink(that)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	n.AddRawLink(name, lnk)
-
-	return nil
-}
-
 // AddRawLink adds a copy of a link to this node
 func (n *ProtoNode) AddRawLink(name string, l *ipld.Link) error {
 	n.encoded = nil
diff --git a/merkledag/utils/utils.go b/merkledag/utils/utils.go
index d6ac9726a..5e0e3b352 100644
--- a/merkledag/utils/utils.go
+++ b/merkledag/utils/utils.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func addLink(ctx context.Context, ds ipld.DAGService, root *dag.ProtoNode, child
 	// ensure no link with that name already exists
 	_ = root.RemoveNodeLink(childname) // ignore error, only option is ErrNotFound
 
-	if err := root.AddNodeLinkClean(childname, childnd); err != nil {
+	if err := root.AddNodeLink(childname, childnd); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ func (e *Editor) insertNodeAtPath(ctx context.Context, root *dag.ProtoNode, path
 	_ = e.tmp.Remove(ctx, root.Cid())
 
 	_ = root.RemoveNodeLink(path[0])
-	err = root.AddNodeLinkClean(path[0], ndprime)
+	err = root.AddNodeLink(path[0], ndprime)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ func (e *Editor) rmLink(ctx context.Context, root *dag.ProtoNode, path []string)
 	e.tmp.Remove(ctx, root.Cid())
 
 	_ = root.RemoveNodeLink(path[0])
-	err = root.AddNodeLinkClean(path[0], nnode)
+	err = root.AddNodeLink(path[0], nnode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pin/pin_test.go b/pin/pin_test.go
index 94da70ed3..e6a8a0850 100644
--- a/pin/pin_test.go
+++ b/pin/pin_test.go
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ func TestPinRecursiveFail(t *testing.T) {
 
 	a, _ := randNode()
 	b, _ := randNode()
-	err := a.AddNodeLinkClean("child", b)
+	err := a.AddNodeLink("child", b)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/pin/set_test.go b/pin/set_test.go
index 815322796..4fea86bd2 100644
--- a/pin/set_test.go
+++ b/pin/set_test.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func TestSet(t *testing.T) {
 	// weird wrapper node because loadSet expects us to pass an
 	// object pointing to multiple named sets
 	setroot := &dag.ProtoNode{}
-	err = setroot.AddNodeLinkClean("foo", out)
+	err = setroot.AddNodeLink("foo", out)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/tar/format.go b/tar/format.go
index ae004a0c9..cf06180f8 100644
--- a/tar/format.go
+++ b/tar/format.go
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func ImportTar(ctx context.Context, r io.Reader, ds ipld.DAGService) (*dag.Proto
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
-			err = header.AddNodeLinkClean("data", nd)
+			err = header.AddNodeLink("data", nd)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
diff --git a/unixfs/io/dirbuilder.go b/unixfs/io/dirbuilder.go
index 616617dee..e8cbff52d 100644
--- a/unixfs/io/dirbuilder.go
+++ b/unixfs/io/dirbuilder.go
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ func (d *Directory) AddChild(ctx context.Context, name string, nd ipld.Node) err
 	if d.shard == nil {
 		if !UseHAMTSharding {
 			_ = d.dirnode.RemoveNodeLink(name)
-			return d.dirnode.AddNodeLinkClean(name, nd)
+			return d.dirnode.AddNodeLink(name, nd)
 		}
 
 		err := d.switchToSharding(ctx)
diff --git a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
index 0fe9df1e4..edf05ecba 100644
--- a/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
+++ b/unixfs/mod/dagmodifier.go
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ func dagTruncate(ctx context.Context, n ipld.Node, size uint64, ds ipld.DAGServi
 	}
 
 	nd.SetLinks(nd.Links()[:end])
-	err = nd.AddNodeLinkClean("", modified)
+	err = nd.AddNodeLink("", modified)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}