diff --git a/src/nautilus-grid-view.c b/src/nautilus-grid-view.c
index 7a2e2f90c1a36657232eeb88d6b57b8f3913c34c..269e570723b6b32da2d70c7c7e7fd189a9e12e95 100644
--- a/src/nautilus-grid-view.c
+++ b/src/nautilus-grid-view.c
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ bind_cell (GtkSignalListItemFactory *factory,
            gpointer                  user_data)
 {
     GtkWidget *cell;
-    NautilusViewItem *item;
+    g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
 
     cell = gtk_list_item_get_child (listitem);
     item = listitem_get_view_item (listitem);
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ unbind_cell (GtkSignalListItemFactory *factory,
              GtkListItem              *listitem,
              gpointer                  user_data)
 {
-    NautilusViewItem *item;
+    g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
 
     item = listitem_get_view_item (listitem);
 
diff --git a/src/nautilus-list-base.c b/src/nautilus-list-base.c
index 46d28e88267eb1ba55a93840693d30f309e97b67..05385f561b613f002bf7a17acd1b8fe80d5b1ae1 100644
--- a/src/nautilus-list-base.c
+++ b/src/nautilus-list-base.c
@@ -1468,7 +1468,7 @@ real_add_files (NautilusFilesView *files_view,
     NautilusListBase *self = NAUTILUS_LIST_BASE (files_view);
     NautilusListBasePrivate *priv = nautilus_list_base_get_instance_private (self);
     g_autoptr (GQueue) files_queue = NULL;
-    g_autoptr (GQueue) items = NULL;
+    g_autoqueue (NautilusViewItem) items = NULL;
 
     files_queue = convert_glist_to_queue (files);
     items = convert_files_to_items (self, files_queue);
@@ -1562,6 +1562,7 @@ real_preview_selection_event (NautilusFilesView *files_view,
 {
     NautilusListBase *self = NAUTILUS_LIST_BASE (files_view);
     NautilusListBasePrivate *priv = nautilus_list_base_get_instance_private (self);
+    g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
     guint i;
     gboolean rtl = (gtk_widget_get_direction (GTK_WIDGET (self)) == GTK_TEXT_DIR_RTL);
 
@@ -1587,7 +1588,8 @@ real_preview_selection_event (NautilusFilesView *files_view,
     }
 
     gtk_selection_model_select_item (GTK_SELECTION_MODEL (priv->model), i, TRUE);
-    set_focus_item (self, g_list_model_get_item (G_LIST_MODEL (priv->model), i));
+    item = g_list_model_get_item (G_LIST_MODEL (priv->model), i);
+    set_focus_item (self, item);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/src/nautilus-list-view.c b/src/nautilus-list-view.c
index 97257bea476229fb0ef41fff5e1c2c543c9128a6..92fe422506c1c6f92065d7103e0535b0b53e55ee 100644
--- a/src/nautilus-list-view.c
+++ b/src/nautilus-list-view.c
@@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ bind_name_cell (GtkSignalListItemFactory *factory,
 {
     GtkWidget *cell;
     NautilusListView *self = user_data;
-    NautilusViewItem *item;
+    g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
 
     cell = gtk_list_item_get_child (listitem);
     item = listitem_get_view_item (listitem);
@@ -1232,7 +1232,7 @@ unbind_name_cell (GtkSignalListItemFactory *factory,
                   gpointer                  user_data)
 {
     NautilusListView *self = user_data;
-    NautilusViewItem *item;
+    g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
 
     item = listitem_get_view_item (listitem);
     if (item == NULL)
diff --git a/src/nautilus-star-cell.c b/src/nautilus-star-cell.c
index 9f210280890a766d78482f668dd7d61e0e8f7672..ed6969f2119dcb1bc404b0b3b9f5322d51d26aa0 100644
--- a/src/nautilus-star-cell.c
+++ b/src/nautilus-star-cell.c
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ on_file_changed (NautilusStarCell *self)
 {
     g_autoptr (NautilusViewItem) item = NULL;
     NautilusFile *file;
-    g_autofree gchar *string = NULL;
 
     item = nautilus_view_cell_get_item (NAUTILUS_VIEW_CELL (self));
     g_return_if_fail (item != NULL);
diff --git a/src/nautilus-view-item.c b/src/nautilus-view-item.c
index 31c11e3fefaafa41f283cbc7ed27fa8cca3a2b92..aafea3763727716381507eab2407ae1ad683aaab 100644
--- a/src/nautilus-view-item.c
+++ b/src/nautilus-view-item.c
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ enum
     PROP_IS_CUT,
     PROP_DRAG_ACCEPT,
     PROP_IS_LOADING,
-    PROP_ITEM_UI,
     N_PROPS
 };
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@ nautilus_view_item_dispose (GObject *object)
 {
     NautilusViewItem *self = NAUTILUS_VIEW_ITEM (object);
 
-    g_clear_object (&self->item_ui);
+    g_clear_weak_pointer (&self->item_ui);
 
     G_OBJECT_CLASS (nautilus_view_item_parent_class)->dispose (object);
 }
@@ -101,12 +100,6 @@ nautilus_view_item_get_property (GObject    *object,
         }
         break;
 
-        case PROP_ITEM_UI:
-        {
-            g_value_set_object (value, self->item_ui);
-        }
-        break;
-
         default:
         {
             G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
@@ -154,12 +147,6 @@ nautilus_view_item_set_property (GObject      *object,
         }
         break;
 
-        case PROP_ITEM_UI:
-        {
-            g_set_object (&self->item_ui, g_value_get_object (value));
-        }
-        break;
-
         default:
         {
             G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
@@ -204,10 +191,6 @@ nautilus_view_item_class_init (NautilusViewItemClass *klass)
                                                         "", "",
                                                         FALSE,
                                                         G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
-    properties[PROP_ITEM_UI] = g_param_spec_object ("item-ui",
-                                                    "", "",
-                                                    GTK_TYPE_WIDGET,
-                                                    G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
     g_object_class_install_properties (object_class, N_PROPS, properties);
 
     signals[FILE_CHANGED] = g_signal_new ("file-changed",
@@ -295,7 +278,7 @@ nautilus_view_item_set_item_ui (NautilusViewItem *self,
 {
     g_return_if_fail (NAUTILUS_IS_VIEW_ITEM (self));
 
-    g_object_set (self, "item-ui", item_ui, NULL);
+    g_set_weak_pointer (&self->item_ui, item_ui);
 }
 
 void