diff --git a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/nodes/core/network/10-mqtt.js b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/nodes/core/network/10-mqtt.js
index 79f2aee67..5271c4273 100644
--- a/packages/node_modules/@node-red/nodes/core/network/10-mqtt.js
+++ b/packages/node_modules/@node-red/nodes/core/network/10-mqtt.js
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
                         }
                         setStatusConnected(node, true);
                         // Remove any existing listeners before resubscribing to avoid duplicates in the event of a re-connection
-                        node._clientRemoveAllListeners('message');
+                        node._clientRemoveListeners('message');
 
                         // Re-subscribe to stored topics
                         for (var s in node.subscriptions) {
@@ -764,7 +764,7 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
                     node.connecting = false;
                     node.connected = false;
                 }
-                if(node.client) { node._clientRemoveAllListeners(); }
+                if(node.client) { node._clientRemoveListeners(); }
                 node.connecting = false;
                 node.connected = false;
                 callback && typeof callback == "function" && callback();
@@ -846,7 +846,7 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
             if (sub) {
                 if (sub[ref]) {
                     if(node.client) {
-                        node.client.removeListener('message',sub[ref].handler);
+                        node._clientRemoveListeners('message',sub[ref].handler);
                     }
                     delete sub[ref];
                 }
@@ -914,7 +914,7 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
         node.on('close', function(done) {
             node.disconnect(function() {
                 if(node.client) {
-                    node._clientRemoveAllListeners();
+                    node._clientRemoveListeners();
                 }
                 done();
             });
@@ -923,19 +923,33 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
         // Helper functions to track the event listners we add to the
         // client. The mqtt client also uses it own set of listeners
         // so we can't use removeAllListeners() wothout breaking it
-        node._clientOn = function(event, f) {
+
+        /**
+         * Add an event handlers to the MQTT.js client
+         * @param {string} [event] The name of the event (optional)
+         * @param {function} [handler] The handler for this event
+         */
+         node._clientOn = function(event, f) {
             node.clientListeners.push({event, f})
             node.client.on(event, f)
         } 
 
-        node._clientRemoveAllListeners = function(event) {
+        /**
+         * Remove event handlers from the MQTT.js client & only the events 
+         * that we attached in {@link node._clientOn `node._clientOn`}.  
+         * * If `event` is omitted, then all events matching `handler` are removed
+         * * If `handler` is omitted, then all events named `event` are removed
+         * * If both parameters are omitted, then all events are removed
+         * @param {string} [event] The name of the event (optional)
+         * @param {function} [handler] The handler for this event
+         */
+         node._clientRemoveListeners = function(event, handler) {
             node.clientListeners = node.clientListeners.filter((l) => {
-                if (!event || (event == l.e)) {
-                    node.client.removeListener(l.event, l.f)
-                    return false;
-                }
-                else
-                    return true;
+                if (event && event !== l.e) { return true; }
+                if (handler && handler !== l.h) { return true; }
+                node.client.removeListener(l.event, l.f)
+                return false; //found and removed, fliter out this one
+
             })
         }