diff --git a/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner.go b/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner.go
index dac17a4628..aec4e866eb 100644
--- a/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner.go
+++ b/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
+	"github.com/e2b-dev/infra/packages/api/internal/sandbox"
 	"github.com/e2b-dev/infra/packages/shared/pkg/logger"
 )
 
@@ -15,8 +16,9 @@ const cleanerInterval = time.Minute
 
 // TODO: Remove once fully migrated to Redis
 //
-// Cleaner prunes stale entries from the two Redis sandbox indexes
-// (`globalExpirationSet` and `globalTeamsSet`).
+// Cleaner:
+// - prunes stale entries from the two Redis sandbox indexes (`globalExpirationSet` and `globalTeamsSet`).
+// - removes expired sandboxes
 //
 // Multi-pod safety: every operation the Cleaner triggers (ZREM/SREM of
 // possibly-absent members) is idempotent. Concurrent Cleaners across pods
@@ -53,22 +55,20 @@ func (c *Cleaner) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 
 // RunOnce performs one cleanup pass. Each sub-step is independent; a failure
 // in one is logged but does not abort the other.
-//
-// Per-cycle work is bounded:
-//   - ExpiredItems caps internally at expiredItemsBatchSize (256) members.
-//   - TeamsWithSandboxCount is one ZRANGE + one pipelined SCARD batch.
 func (c *Cleaner) RunOnce(ctx context.Context) error {
 	var errs []error
 
-	// 1. globalExpirationSet: ExpiredItems internally ZREMs members whose
-	//    sandbox JSON is gone (items.go:131-135). Discard the returned
-	//    sandbox list — actually evicting still-running sandboxes is the
-	//    evictor's job, which in memory mode reads the memory backend.
-	if _, err := c.storage.ExpiredItems(ctx); err != nil {
+	// 1. globalExpirationSet: ExpiredItems internally ZREMs members whose sandbox JSON is gone.
+	// 2. evictExpired removes sandboxes whose EndTime is older than StaleCutoff;
+	//    recently expired ones are left to the evictor to avoid racing it.
+	expired, err := c.storage.ExpiredItems(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("expiration index sweep: %w", err))
+	} else {
+		c.evictExpired(ctx, expired)
 	}
 
-	// 2. globalTeamsSet: TeamsWithSandboxCount internally ZREMs teams whose
+	// 3. globalTeamsSet: TeamsWithSandboxCount internally ZREMs teams whose
 	//    per-team SCARD is 0 AND whose score is older than StaleCutoff
 	//    (operations.go:268-288). Discard the returned counts.
 	if _, err := c.storage.TeamsWithSandboxCount(ctx); err != nil {
@@ -77,3 +77,25 @@ func (c *Cleaner) RunOnce(ctx context.Context) error {
 
 	return errors.Join(errs...)
 }
+
+func (c *Cleaner) evictExpired(ctx context.Context, expired []sandbox.Sandbox) {
+	if len(expired) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	logger.L().Info(ctx, "Cleaner found expired sandboxes", zap.Int("count", len(expired)))
+
+	for _, sbx := range expired {
+		if time.Since(sbx.EndTime) < sandbox.StaleCutoff {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if rmErr := c.storage.Remove(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), sbx.TeamID, sbx.SandboxID); rmErr != nil {
+			logger.L().Error(ctx, "Cleaner failed to remove stale expired sandbox",
+				zap.Error(rmErr),
+				logger.WithSandboxID(sbx.SandboxID),
+				logger.WithTeamID(sbx.TeamID.String()),
+			)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner_test.go b/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner_test.go
index ced3faac4a..40a25a7780 100644
--- a/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner_test.go
+++ b/packages/api/internal/sandbox/storage/redis/cleaner_test.go
@@ -219,6 +219,58 @@ func TestCleaner_PreservesFutureScoredExpirationEntry(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err, "future-scored entry must not be pruned")
 }
 
+// TestCleaner_EvictsStaleExpiredSandbox covers the new evictExpired path:
+// a sandbox whose EndTime is older than StaleCutoff must be Remove()'d by
+// the cleaner so its JSON key, per-team index entry, and globalExpirationSet
+// member all disappear.
+func TestCleaner_EvictsStaleExpiredSandbox(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	storage, client := setupTestStorage(t)
+	ctx := t.Context()
+
+	sbx := createTestSandbox("stale-expired-" + uuid.NewString())
+	sbx.EndTime = time.Now().Add(-sandbox.StaleCutoff - time.Minute)
+	require.NoError(t, storage.Add(ctx, sbx))
+
+	cleaner := NewCleaner(storage)
+	require.NoError(t, cleaner.RunOnce(ctx))
+
+	_, err := storage.Get(ctx, sbx.TeamID, sbx.SandboxID)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, sandbox.ErrNotFound, "stale expired sandbox JSON should be removed")
+
+	_, err = client.ZScore(ctx, globalExpirationSet,
+		expirationMember(sbx.TeamID.String(), sbx.SandboxID)).Result()
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, redis.Nil, "stale expired sandbox should be removed from globalExpirationSet")
+
+	isMember, err := client.SIsMember(ctx,
+		GetSandboxStorageTeamIndexKey(sbx.TeamID.String()), sbx.SandboxID).Result()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.False(t, isMember, "stale expired sandbox should be removed from per-team index")
+}
+
+// TestCleaner_PreservesRecentlyExpiredSandbox guards the StaleCutoff window
+// inside evictExpired: a sandbox that has just expired (EndTime in the past
+// but newer than StaleCutoff) is still the evictor's responsibility — the
+// cleaner must leave it alone so we don't race the evictor.
+func TestCleaner_PreservesRecentlyExpiredSandbox(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	storage, _ := setupTestStorage(t)
+	ctx := t.Context()
+
+	sbx := createTestSandbox("fresh-expired-" + uuid.NewString())
+	sbx.EndTime = time.Now().Add(-time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, storage.Add(ctx, sbx))
+
+	cleaner := NewCleaner(storage)
+	require.NoError(t, cleaner.RunOnce(ctx))
+
+	got, err := storage.Get(ctx, sbx.TeamID, sbx.SandboxID)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "recently expired sandbox must survive — eviction is the evictor's job")
+	require.Equal(t, sbx.SandboxID, got.SandboxID)
+}
+
 // Compile-time guard so future refactors of sandbox.StaleCutoff get noticed
 // here: the cleaner's correctness depends on it being > 0.
 var _ = func() bool {