diff --git a/cmd/kubelet/app/options/options.go b/cmd/kubelet/app/options/options.go
index bfcc54b3121..87d1a1a81a9 100644
--- a/cmd/kubelet/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/kubelet/app/options/options.go
@@ -153,9 +153,9 @@ func (s *KubeletServer) AddFlags(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	fs.BoolVar(&s.EnableDebuggingHandlers, "enable-debugging-handlers", s.EnableDebuggingHandlers, "Enables server endpoints for log collection and local running of containers and commands")
 	fs.DurationVar(&s.MinimumGCAge.Duration, "minimum-container-ttl-duration", s.MinimumGCAge.Duration, "Minimum age for a finished container before it is garbage collected.  Examples: '300ms', '10s' or '2h45m'")
 	fs.MarkDeprecated("minimum-container-ttl-duration", "Use --eviction-hard or --eviction-soft instead. Will be removed in a future version.")
-	fs.Int32Var(&s.MaxPerPodContainerCount, "maximum-dead-containers-per-container", s.MaxPerPodContainerCount, "Maximum number of old instances to retain per container.  Each container takes up some disk space.  Default: 2.")
+	fs.Int32Var(&s.MaxPerPodContainerCount, "maximum-dead-containers-per-container", s.MaxPerPodContainerCount, "Maximum number of old instances to retain per container.  Each container takes up some disk space.  Default: 1.")
 	fs.MarkDeprecated("maximum-dead-containers-per-container", "Use --eviction-hard or --eviction-soft instead. Will be removed in a future version.")
-	fs.Int32Var(&s.MaxContainerCount, "maximum-dead-containers", s.MaxContainerCount, "Maximum number of old instances of containers to retain globally.  Each container takes up some disk space.  Default: 100.")
+	fs.Int32Var(&s.MaxContainerCount, "maximum-dead-containers", s.MaxContainerCount, "Maximum number of old instances of containers to retain globally.  Each container takes up some disk space. To disable, set to a negative number.  Default: -1.")
 	fs.MarkDeprecated("maximum-dead-containers", "Use --eviction-hard or --eviction-soft instead. Will be removed in a future version.")
 	fs.Int32Var(&s.CAdvisorPort, "cadvisor-port", s.CAdvisorPort, "The port of the localhost cAdvisor endpoint")
 	fs.Int32Var(&s.HealthzPort, "healthz-port", s.HealthzPort, "The port of the localhost healthz endpoint")