diff --git a/src/basic/time-util.h b/src/basic/time-util.h
index 5b6a524c48..9a66a90859 100644
--- a/src/basic/time-util.h
+++ b/src/basic/time-util.h
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ struct timespec* timespec_store(struct timespec *ts, usec_t u);
 struct timespec* timespec_store_nsec(struct timespec *ts, nsec_t n);
 
 #define TIMESPEC_STORE(u) timespec_store(&(struct timespec) {}, (u))
+#define TIMESPEC_STORE_NSEC(n) timespec_store_nsec(&(struct timespec) {}, (n))
 
 usec_t timeval_load(const struct timeval *tv) _pure_;
 struct timeval* timeval_store(struct timeval *tv, usec_t u);
diff --git a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
index e869c3da69..5d0859a2f2 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
+++ b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
@@ -592,8 +592,8 @@ static int opendir_and_stat(
                         /* path= */ NULL,
                         AT_EMPTY_PATH,
                         /* xstatx_flags= */ 0,
-                        STATX_MODE|STATX_INO|STATX_ATIME|STATX_MTIME,
-                        /* optional_mask= */ 0,
+                        STATX_MODE|STATX_INO,
+                        STATX_ATIME|STATX_MTIME,
                         STATX_ATTR_MOUNT_ROOT,
                         &sx);
         if (r < 0)
@@ -711,10 +711,10 @@ static int dir_cleanup(
                         continue;
                 }
 
-                atime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_ATIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_atime) : 0;
-                mtime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_MTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_mtime) : 0;
-                ctime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_CTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_ctime) : 0;
-                btime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_BTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_btime) : 0;
+                atime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_ATIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_atime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
+                mtime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_MTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_mtime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
+                ctime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_CTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_ctime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
+                btime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_BTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_btime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
 
                 sub_path = path_join(p, de->d_name);
                 if (!sub_path) {
@@ -868,11 +868,19 @@ finish:
                 log_action("Would restore", "Restoring",
                            "%s access and modification time on \"%s\": %s, %s",
                            p,
-                           FORMAT_TIMESTAMP_STYLE(self_atime_nsec / NSEC_PER_USEC, TIMESTAMP_US),
-                           FORMAT_TIMESTAMP_STYLE(self_mtime_nsec / NSEC_PER_USEC, TIMESTAMP_US));
+                           self_atime_nsec != NSEC_INFINITY
+                                ? FORMAT_TIMESTAMP_STYLE(self_atime_nsec / NSEC_PER_USEC, TIMESTAMP_US)
+                                : "(omitted)",
+                           self_mtime_nsec != NSEC_INFINITY
+                                ? FORMAT_TIMESTAMP_STYLE(self_mtime_nsec / NSEC_PER_USEC, TIMESTAMP_US)
+                                : "(omitted)");
 
-                timespec_store_nsec(ts + 0, self_atime_nsec);
-                timespec_store_nsec(ts + 1, self_mtime_nsec);
+                ts[0] = self_atime_nsec != NSEC_INFINITY
+                        ? *TIMESPEC_STORE_NSEC(self_atime_nsec)
+                        : TIMESPEC_OMIT;
+                ts[1] = self_mtime_nsec != NSEC_INFINITY
+                        ? *TIMESPEC_STORE_NSEC(self_mtime_nsec)
+                        : TIMESPEC_OMIT;
 
                 /* Restore original directory timestamps */
                 if (!arg_dry_run &&
@@ -3117,6 +3125,7 @@ static int clean_item_instance(
                 return 0;
 
         usec_t cutoff = n - i->age;
+        nsec_t atime_nsec, mtime_nsec;
 
         _cleanup_closedir_ DIR *d = NULL;
         struct statx sx;
@@ -3127,6 +3136,9 @@ static int clean_item_instance(
         if (r <= 0)
                 return r;
 
+        atime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_ATIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_atime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
+        mtime_nsec = FLAGS_SET(sx.stx_mask, STATX_MTIME) ? statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_mtime) : NSEC_INFINITY;
+
         if (DEBUG_LOGGING) {
                 _cleanup_free_ char *ab_f = NULL, *ab_d = NULL;
 
@@ -3146,8 +3158,8 @@ static int clean_item_instance(
         }
 
         return dir_cleanup(c, i, instance, d,
-                           statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_atime),
-                           statx_timestamp_load_nsec(&sx.stx_mtime),
+                           atime_nsec,
+                           mtime_nsec,
                            cutoff * NSEC_PER_USEC,
                            sx.stx_dev_major, sx.stx_dev_minor,
                            mountpoint,