diff --git a/fs/btrfs/block-group.c b/fs/btrfs/block-group.c
index dda495b2a86213d767e6f89dfb6639bc19c81956..5fa6b3d540f4adff20806c475602e76f55b67986 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/block-group.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/block-group.c
@@ -1262,6 +1262,13 @@ void btrfs_delete_unused_bgs(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info)
 	if (!test_bit(BTRFS_FS_OPEN, &fs_info->flags))
 		return;
 
+	/*
+	 * Long running balances can keep us blocked here for eternity, so
+	 * simply skip deletion if we're unable to get the mutex.
+	 */
+	if (!mutex_trylock(&fs_info->delete_unused_bgs_mutex))
+		return;
+
 	spin_lock(&fs_info->unused_bgs_lock);
 	while (!list_empty(&fs_info->unused_bgs)) {
 		int trimming;
@@ -1281,8 +1288,6 @@ void btrfs_delete_unused_bgs(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info)
 
 		btrfs_discard_cancel_work(&fs_info->discard_ctl, block_group);
 
-		mutex_lock(&fs_info->delete_unused_bgs_mutex);
-
 		/* Don't want to race with allocators so take the groups_sem */
 		down_write(&space_info->groups_sem);
 
@@ -1426,11 +1431,11 @@ void btrfs_delete_unused_bgs(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info)
 end_trans:
 		btrfs_end_transaction(trans);
 next:
-		mutex_unlock(&fs_info->delete_unused_bgs_mutex);
 		btrfs_put_block_group(block_group);
 		spin_lock(&fs_info->unused_bgs_lock);
 	}
 	spin_unlock(&fs_info->unused_bgs_lock);
+	mutex_unlock(&fs_info->delete_unused_bgs_mutex);
 	return;
 
 flip_async: