diff --git a/source/blender/gpu/gpu_buffers.h b/source/blender/gpu/gpu_buffers.h
index 98cefa7a696..983133a6d4b 100644
--- a/source/blender/gpu/gpu_buffers.h
+++ b/source/blender/gpu/gpu_buffers.h
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ typedef struct GPUBuffer
 
 typedef struct GPUBufferPool
 {
-	int size;	/* number of allocated buffers stored */
-	GPUBuffer* buffers[MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS];
+	int size;		/* number of allocated buffers stored */
+	int maxsize;	/* size of the array */
+	GPUBuffer **buffers;
 } GPUBufferPool;
 
 typedef struct GPUBufferMaterial
@@ -119,7 +120,8 @@ typedef struct GPUAttrib
 } GPUAttrib;
 
 GPUBufferPool *GPU_buffer_pool_new();
-void GPU_buffer_pool_free( GPUBufferPool *pool );	/* TODO: Find a place where to call this function on exit */
+void GPU_buffer_pool_free( GPUBufferPool *pool );
+void GPU_buffer_pool_free_unused( GPUBufferPool *pool );
 
 GPUBuffer *GPU_buffer_alloc( int size, GPUBufferPool *pool );
 void GPU_buffer_free( GPUBuffer *buffer, GPUBufferPool *pool );
diff --git a/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_buffers.c b/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_buffers.c
index 1d615c8e67b..e0a47c0c5bc 100644
--- a/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_buffers.c
+++ b/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_buffers.c
@@ -38,8 +38,9 @@
 
 #include "MEM_guardedalloc.h"
 
-#include "BLI_math.h"
 #include "BLI_ghash.h"
+#include "BLI_math.h"
+#include "BLI_threads.h"
 
 #include "DNA_meshdata_types.h"
 
@@ -82,37 +83,12 @@ GPUBufferPool *GPU_buffer_pool_new()
 	}
 
 	pool = MEM_callocN(sizeof(GPUBufferPool), "GPU_buffer_pool_new");
+	pool->maxsize = MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS;
+	pool->buffers = MEM_callocN(sizeof(GPUBuffer*)*pool->maxsize, "GPU_buffer_pool_new buffers");
 
 	return pool;
 }
 
-void GPU_buffer_pool_free(GPUBufferPool *pool)
-{
-	int i;
-
-	DEBUG_VBO("GPU_buffer_pool_free\n");
-
-	if( pool == 0 )
-		pool = globalPool;
-	if( pool == 0 )
-		return;
-
-	for( i = 0; i < pool->size; i++ ) {
-		if( pool->buffers[i] != 0 ) {
-			if( useVBOs ) {
-				glDeleteBuffersARB( 1, &pool->buffers[i]->id );
-			}
-			else {
-				MEM_freeN( pool->buffers[i]->pointer );
-			}
-			MEM_freeN(pool->buffers[i]);
-		} else {
-			ERROR_VBO("Why are we accessing a null buffer in GPU_buffer_pool_free?\n");
-		}
-	}
-	MEM_freeN(pool);
-}
-
 void GPU_buffer_pool_remove( int index, GPUBufferPool *pool )
 {
 	int i;
@@ -159,6 +135,35 @@ void GPU_buffer_pool_delete_last( GPUBufferPool *pool )
 	pool->size--;
 }
 
+void GPU_buffer_pool_free(GPUBufferPool *pool)
+{
+	DEBUG_VBO("GPU_buffer_pool_free\n");
+
+	if( pool == 0 )
+		pool = globalPool;
+	if( pool == 0 )
+		return;
+	
+	while( pool->size )
+		GPU_buffer_pool_delete_last(pool);
+
+	MEM_freeN(pool->buffers);
+	MEM_freeN(pool);
+}
+
+void GPU_buffer_pool_free_unused(GPUBufferPool *pool)
+{
+	DEBUG_VBO("GPU_buffer_pool_free_unused\n");
+
+	if( pool == 0 )
+		pool = globalPool;
+	if( pool == 0 )
+		return;
+	
+	while( pool->size > MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS )
+		GPU_buffer_pool_delete_last(pool);
+}
+
 GPUBuffer *GPU_buffer_alloc( int size, GPUBufferPool *pool )
 {
 	char buffer[60];
@@ -226,6 +231,7 @@ GPUBuffer *GPU_buffer_alloc( int size, GPUBufferPool *pool )
 void GPU_buffer_free( GPUBuffer *buffer, GPUBufferPool *pool )
 {
 	int i;
+
 	DEBUG_VBO("GPU_buffer_free\n");
 
 	if( buffer == 0 )
@@ -235,9 +241,19 @@ void GPU_buffer_free( GPUBuffer *buffer, GPUBufferPool *pool )
 	if( pool == 0 )
 		globalPool = GPU_buffer_pool_new();
 
-	/* free the last used buffer in the queue if no more space */
-	if( pool->size == MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS ) {
-		GPU_buffer_pool_delete_last( pool );
+	/* free the last used buffer in the queue if no more space, but only
+	   if we are in the main thread. for e.g. rendering or baking it can
+	   happen that we are in other thread and can't call OpenGL, in that
+	   case cleanup will be done GPU_buffer_pool_free_unused */
+	if( BLI_thread_is_main() ) {
+		while( pool->size >= MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS )
+			GPU_buffer_pool_delete_last( pool );
+	}
+	else {
+		if( pool->maxsize == pool->size ) {
+			pool->maxsize += MAX_FREE_GPU_BUFFERS;
+			pool->buffers = MEM_reallocN(pool->buffers, sizeof(GPUBuffer*)*pool->maxsize);
+		}
 	}
 
 	for( i =pool->size; i > 0; i-- ) {
diff --git a/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_draw.c b/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_draw.c
index 9a5a6704428..506ce94b763 100644
--- a/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_draw.c
+++ b/source/blender/gpu/intern/gpu_draw.c
@@ -804,11 +804,15 @@ void GPU_free_unused_buffers(void)
 
 	BLI_lock_thread(LOCK_OPENGL);
 
+	/* images */
 	for(ima=image_free_queue.first; ima; ima=ima->id.next)
 		GPU_free_image(ima);
 
 	BLI_freelistN(&image_free_queue);
 
+	/* vbo buffers */
+	GPU_buffer_pool_free_unused(0);
+
 	BLI_unlock_thread(LOCK_OPENGL);
 }