diff --git a/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt b/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
index 5c878cc6c0b4..c899192b37bb 100644
--- a/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
+++ b/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
@@ -779,6 +779,13 @@ This will delete the directory debian, including all subdirectories.
 Kbuild will assume the directories to be in the same relative path as the
 Makefile if no absolute path is specified (path does not start with '/').
 
+To exclude certain files from make clean, use the $(no-clean-files) variable.
+This is only a special case used in the top level Kbuild file:
+
+	Example:
+		#Kbuild
+		no-clean-files := $(bounds-file) $(offsets-file)
+
 Usually kbuild descends down in subdirectories due to "obj-* := dir/",
 but in the architecture makefiles where the kbuild infrastructure
 is not sufficient this sometimes needs to be explicit.
diff --git a/Kbuild b/Kbuild
index e3737ad72b5a..18a8bfbb353b 100644
--- a/Kbuild
+++ b/Kbuild
@@ -94,5 +94,5 @@ PHONY += missing-syscalls
 missing-syscalls: scripts/checksyscalls.sh FORCE
 	$(call cmd,syscalls)
 
-# Delete all targets during make clean
-clean-files := $(addprefix $(objtree)/,$(filter-out $(bounds-file) $(offsets-file),$(targets)))
+# Keep these two files during make clean
+no-clean-files := $(bounds-file) $(offsets-file)
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f78450e299a2..edfa6cf7cb94 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1119,21 +1119,13 @@ MRPROPER_FILES += .config .config.old .version .old_version             \
 #
 clean: rm-dirs  := $(CLEAN_DIRS)
 clean: rm-files := $(CLEAN_FILES)
-clean-dirs      := $(addprefix _clean_,$(srctree) $(vmlinux-alldirs) Documentation)
+clean-dirs      := $(addprefix _clean_, . $(vmlinux-alldirs) Documentation)
 
 PHONY += $(clean-dirs) clean archclean
 $(clean-dirs):
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(clean)=$(patsubst _clean_%,%,$@)
 
-clean: archclean $(clean-dirs)
-	$(call cmd,rmdirs)
-	$(call cmd,rmfiles)
-	@find . $(RCS_FIND_IGNORE) \
-		\( -name '*.[oas]' -o -name '*.ko' -o -name '.*.cmd' \
-		-o -name '.*.d' -o -name '.*.tmp' -o -name '*.mod.c' \
-		-o -name '*.symtypes' -o -name 'modules.order' \
-		-o -name modules.builtin -o -name '.tmp_*.o.*' \
-		-o -name '*.gcno' \) -type f -print | xargs rm -f
+clean: archclean
 
 # mrproper - Delete all generated files, including .config
 #
@@ -1331,16 +1323,7 @@ $(clean-dirs):
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(clean)=$(patsubst _clean_%,%,$@)
 
 clean:	rm-dirs := $(MODVERDIR)
-clean: rm-files := $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Module.symvers \
-                   $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/modules.order \
-                   $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/modules.builtin
-clean: $(clean-dirs)
-	$(call cmd,rmdirs)
-	$(call cmd,rmfiles)
-	@find $(KBUILD_EXTMOD) $(RCS_FIND_IGNORE) \
-		\( -name '*.[oas]' -o -name '*.ko' -o -name '.*.cmd' \
-		-o -name '.*.d' -o -name '.*.tmp' -o -name '*.mod.c' \
-		-o -name '*.gcno' \) -type f -print | xargs rm -f
+clean: rm-files := $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Module.symvers
 
 help:
 	@echo  '  Building external modules.'
@@ -1357,6 +1340,16 @@ prepare: ;
 scripts: ;
 endif # KBUILD_EXTMOD
 
+clean: $(clean-dirs)
+	$(call cmd,rmdirs)
+	$(call cmd,rmfiles)
+	@find $(or $(KBUILD_EXTMOD), .) $(RCS_FIND_IGNORE) \
+		\( -name '*.[oas]' -o -name '*.ko' -o -name '.*.cmd' \
+		-o -name '.*.d' -o -name '.*.tmp' -o -name '*.mod.c' \
+		-o -name '*.symtypes' -o -name 'modules.order' \
+		-o -name modules.builtin -o -name '.tmp_*.o.*' \
+		-o -name '*.gcno' \) -type f -print | xargs rm -f
+
 # Generate tags for editors
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 quiet_cmd_tags = GEN     $@
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.clean b/scripts/Makefile.clean
index 6f89fbb56256..686cb0d31c7c 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.clean
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.clean
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ __clean-files	:= $(extra-y) $(always)                  \
 		   $(host-progs)                         \
 		   $(hostprogs-y) $(hostprogs-m) $(hostprogs-)
 
+__clean-files   := $(filter-out $(no-clean-files), $(__clean-files))
+
 # as clean-files is given relative to the current directory, this adds
 # a $(obj) prefix, except for absolute paths