diff --git a/core/src/ledger_cleanup_service.rs b/core/src/ledger_cleanup_service.rs
index 6b535d7c30c29b..e5f5f204c6d946 100644
--- a/core/src/ledger_cleanup_service.rs
+++ b/core/src/ledger_cleanup_service.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use {
     crossbeam_channel::{Receiver, RecvTimeoutError},
     solana_ledger::{
         blockstore::{Blockstore, PurgeType},
-        blockstore_db::Result as BlockstoreResult,
+        blockstore_db::{Result as BlockstoreResult, DATA_SHRED_CF},
     },
     solana_measure::measure::Measure,
     solana_sdk::clock::Slot,
@@ -100,43 +100,61 @@ impl LedgerCleanupService {
         root: Slot,
         max_ledger_shreds: u64,
     ) -> (bool, Slot, u64) {
-        let mut total_slots = Vec::new();
-        let mut iterate_time = Measure::start("iterate_time");
-        let mut total_shreds = 0;
-        for (i, (slot, meta)) in blockstore.slot_meta_iterator(0).unwrap().enumerate() {
-            if i == 0 {
-                debug!("purge: searching from slot: {}", slot);
-            }
-            // Unrooted slots are not eligible for cleaning
-            if slot > root {
-                break;
-            }
-            // This method not exact since non-full slots will have holes
-            total_shreds += meta.received;
-            total_slots.push((slot, meta.received));
-        }
-        iterate_time.stop();
+        let data_shred_cf_name = DATA_SHRED_CF.to_string();
+
+        let live_files = blockstore
+            .live_files_metadata()
+            .expect("Blockstore::live_files_metadata()");
+        let num_shreds = live_files
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|live_file| live_file.column_family_name == data_shred_cf_name)
+            .map(|file_meta| file_meta.num_entries)
+            .sum();
+
+        // Using the difference between the lowest and highest slot seen will
+        // result in overestimating the number of slots in the blockstore since
+        // there are likely to be some missing slots, such as when a leader is
+        // delinquent for their leader slots.
+        //
+        // With the below calculations, we will then end up underestimating the
+        // mean number of shreds per slot present in the blockstore which will
+        // result in cleaning more slots than necessary to get us
+        // below max_ledger_shreds.
+        //
+        // Given that the service runs on an interval, this is good because it
+        // means that we are building some headroom so the peak number of alive
+        // shreds doesn't get too large before the service's next run.
+        let lowest_slot = blockstore.lowest_slot();
+        let highest_slot = blockstore
+            .highest_slot()
+            .expect("Blockstore::highest_slot()")
+            .unwrap_or(lowest_slot);
+        // The + 1 ensures we count the correct number of slots and that the
+        // divisor in the subsequent division is strictly >= 1.
+        let num_slots = highest_slot - lowest_slot + 1;
+        let mean_shreds_per_slot = num_shreds / num_slots;
         info!(
-            "total_slots={} total_shreds={} max_ledger_shreds={}, {}",
-            total_slots.len(),
-            total_shreds,
-            max_ledger_shreds,
-            iterate_time
+            "{} alive shreds in slots [{}, {}], mean of {} shreds per slot",
+            num_shreds, lowest_slot, highest_slot, mean_shreds_per_slot
         );
-        if total_shreds < max_ledger_shreds {
-            return (false, 0, total_shreds);
-        }
-        let mut num_shreds_to_clean = 0;
-        let mut lowest_cleanup_slot = total_slots[0].0;
-        for (slot, num_shreds) in total_slots.iter().rev() {
-            num_shreds_to_clean += *num_shreds;
-            if num_shreds_to_clean > max_ledger_shreds {
-                lowest_cleanup_slot = *slot;
-                break;
-            }
+
+        if num_shreds <= max_ledger_shreds {
+            return (false, 0, num_shreds);
         }
 
-        (true, lowest_cleanup_slot, total_shreds)
+        // Add an extra (mean_shreds_per_slot - 1) in the numerator
+        // so that our integer division rounds up
+        let num_slots_to_clean = (num_shreds - max_ledger_shreds + mean_shreds_per_slot - 1)
+            .checked_div(mean_shreds_per_slot);
+
+        if let Some(num_slots_to_clean) = num_slots_to_clean {
+            // Ensure we don't cleanup anything past the last root we saw
+            let lowest_cleanup_slot = std::cmp::min(lowest_slot + num_slots_to_clean - 1, root);
+            (true, lowest_cleanup_slot, num_shreds)
+        } else {
+            warn!("calculated mean of 0 shreds per slot, skipping cleanup");
+            (false, 0, num_shreds)
+        }
     }
 
     fn receive_new_roots(new_root_receiver: &Receiver<Slot>) -> Result<Slot, RecvTimeoutError> {
@@ -270,13 +288,26 @@ mod tests {
         solana_ledger::{blockstore::make_many_slot_entries, get_tmp_ledger_path_auto_delete},
     };
 
+
+    fn flush_blockstore_contents_to_disk(blockstore: Blockstore) -> Blockstore {
+        // The find_slots_to_clean() routine uses a method that queries data
+        // from RocksDB SST files. On a running validator, these are created
+        // fairly reguarly as new data is coming in and contents of memory are
+        // pushed to disk. In a unit test environment, we aren't pushing nearly
+        // enough data for this to happen organically. So, instead open and
+        // close the Blockstore which will perform the flush to SSTs.
+        let ledger_path = blockstore.ledger_path().clone();
+        drop(blockstore);
+        Blockstore::open(&ledger_path).unwrap()
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_find_slots_to_clean() {
         // LedgerCleanupService::find_slots_to_clean() does not modify the
         // Blockstore, so we can make repeated calls on the same slots
         solana_logger::setup();
         let ledger_path = get_tmp_ledger_path_auto_delete!();
-        let blockstore = Arc::new(Blockstore::open(ledger_path.path()).unwrap());
+        let blockstore = Blockstore::open(ledger_path.path()).unwrap();
 
         // Construct and build some shreds for slots [1, 10]
         let num_slots: u64 = 10;
@@ -286,6 +317,9 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(shreds_per_slot > 1);
         blockstore.insert_shreds(shreds, None, false).unwrap();
 
+        // Initiate a flush so inserted shreds found by find_slots_to_clean()
+        let blockstore = Arc::new(flush_blockstore_contents_to_disk(blockstore));
+
         // Ensure no cleaning of slots > last_root
         let last_root = 0;
         let max_ledger_shreds = 0;
@@ -294,11 +328,11 @@ mod tests {
         // Slot 0 will exist in blockstore with zero shreds since it is slot
         // 1's parent. Thus, slot 0 will be identified for clean.
         assert!(should_clean && lowest_purged == 0);
-        // Now, set max_ledger_shreds to 1 so that slot 0 is left alone
+        // Now, set max_ledger_shreds to 1, slot 0 still eligible for clean
         let max_ledger_shreds = 1;
         let (should_clean, lowest_purged, _) =
             LedgerCleanupService::find_slots_to_clean(&blockstore, last_root, max_ledger_shreds);
-        assert!(!should_clean && lowest_purged == 0);
+        assert!(should_clean && lowest_purged == 0);
 
         // Ensure no cleaning if blockstore contains fewer than max_ledger_shreds
         let last_root = num_slots;
@@ -340,7 +374,9 @@ mod tests {
         let blockstore = Blockstore::open(ledger_path.path()).unwrap();
         let (shreds, _) = make_many_slot_entries(0, 50, 5);
         blockstore.insert_shreds(shreds, None, false).unwrap();
-        let blockstore = Arc::new(blockstore);
+
+        // Initiate a flush so inserted shreds found by find_slots_to_clean()
+        let blockstore = Arc::new(flush_blockstore_contents_to_disk(blockstore));
         let (sender, receiver) = unbounded();
 
         //send a signal to kill all but 5 shreds, which will be in the newest slots
diff --git a/ledger/src/blockstore_db.rs b/ledger/src/blockstore_db.rs
index 7801babc93a774..e4d8c3ab6fc954 100644
--- a/ledger/src/blockstore_db.rs
+++ b/ledger/src/blockstore_db.rs
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ const ROOT_CF: &str = "root";
 /// Column family for indexes
 const INDEX_CF: &str = "index";
 /// Column family for Data Shreds
-const DATA_SHRED_CF: &str = "data_shred";
+pub const DATA_SHRED_CF: &str = "data_shred";
 /// Column family for Code Shreds
 const CODE_SHRED_CF: &str = "code_shred";
 /// Column family for Transaction Status