diff --git a/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/disk_row_container.go b/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/disk_row_container.go
index fec633921c57..1e1b632d7c28 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/disk_row_container.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/disk_row_container.go
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ func (d *DiskRowContainer) keyValToRow(k []byte, v []byte) (sqlbase.EncDatumRow,
 // diskRowIterator iterates over the rows in a DiskRowContainer.
 type diskRowIterator struct {
 	rowContainer *DiskRowContainer
+	rowBuf       []byte
 	diskmap.SortedDiskMapIterator
 }
 
@@ -305,7 +306,23 @@ func (r *diskRowIterator) Row() (sqlbase.EncDatumRow, error) {
 		return nil, errors.AssertionFailedf("invalid row")
 	}
 
-	return r.rowContainer.keyValToRow(r.Key(), r.Value())
+	k := r.UnsafeKey()
+	v := r.UnsafeValue()
+	// TODO(asubiotto): the "true ||" should not be necessary. We should be to
+	// reuse rowBuf, yet doing so causes
+	// TestDiskBackedIndexedRowContainer/ReorderingOnDisk, TestHashJoiner, and
+	// TestSorter to fail. Some caller of Row() is presumably not making a copy
+	// of the return value.
+	if true || cap(r.rowBuf) < len(k)+len(v) {
+		r.rowBuf = make([]byte, 0, len(k)+len(v))
+	}
+	r.rowBuf = r.rowBuf[:len(k)+len(v)]
+	copy(r.rowBuf, k)
+	copy(r.rowBuf[len(k):], v)
+	k = r.rowBuf[:len(k)]
+	v = r.rowBuf[len(k):]
+
+	return r.rowContainer.keyValToRow(k, v)
 }
 
 func (r *diskRowIterator) Close() {
@@ -347,7 +364,8 @@ func (r *diskRowFinalIterator) Row() (sqlbase.EncDatumRow, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	r.diskRowIterator.rowContainer.lastReadKey = r.Key()
+	r.diskRowIterator.rowContainer.lastReadKey =
+		append(r.diskRowIterator.rowContainer.lastReadKey[:0], r.UnsafeKey()...)
 	return row, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/hash_row_container.go b/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/hash_row_container.go
index efb9d1a87fc2..7e98ad86fc0f 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/hash_row_container.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/rowcontainer/hash_row_container.go
@@ -553,6 +553,8 @@ type hashDiskRowBucketIterator struct {
 	// encodedEqCols is the encoding of the equality columns of the rows in the
 	// bucket that this iterator iterates over.
 	encodedEqCols []byte
+	// Temporary buffer used for constructed marked values.
+	tmpBuf []byte
 }
 
 var _ RowMarkerIterator = &hashDiskRowBucketIterator{}
@@ -586,10 +588,7 @@ func (i *hashDiskRowBucketIterator) Valid() (bool, error) {
 	}
 	// Since the underlying map is sorted, once the key prefix does not equal
 	// the encoded equality columns, we have gone past the end of the bucket.
-	// TODO(asubiotto): Make UnsafeKey() and UnsafeValue() part of the
-	// SortedDiskMapIterator interface to avoid allocation here, in Mark(), and
-	// isRowMarked().
-	return bytes.HasPrefix(i.Key(), i.encodedEqCols), nil
+	return bytes.HasPrefix(i.UnsafeKey(), i.encodedEqCols), nil
 }
 
 // Row implements the RowIterator interface.
@@ -632,7 +631,7 @@ func (i *hashDiskRowBucketIterator) IsMarked(ctx context.Context) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	rowVal := i.Value()
+	rowVal := i.UnsafeValue()
 	return bytes.Equal(rowVal[len(rowVal)-len(encodedTrue):], encodedTrue)
 }
 
@@ -648,7 +647,7 @@ func (i *hashDiskRowBucketIterator) Mark(ctx context.Context, mark bool) error {
 	}
 	// rowVal are the non-equality encoded columns, the last of which is the
 	// column we use to mark a row.
-	rowVal := i.Value()
+	rowVal := append(i.tmpBuf[:0], i.UnsafeValue()...)
 	originalLen := len(rowVal)
 	rowVal = append(rowVal, markBytes...)
 
@@ -656,11 +655,12 @@ func (i *hashDiskRowBucketIterator) Mark(ctx context.Context, mark bool) error {
 	// the extra bytes.
 	copy(rowVal[originalLen-len(markBytes):], rowVal[originalLen:])
 	rowVal = rowVal[:originalLen]
+	i.tmpBuf = rowVal
 
 	// These marks only matter when using a hashDiskRowIterator to iterate over
 	// unmarked rows. The writes are flushed when creating a NewIterator() in
 	// NewUnmarkedIterator().
-	return i.HashDiskRowContainer.bufferedRows.Put(i.Key(), rowVal)
+	return i.HashDiskRowContainer.bufferedRows.Put(i.UnsafeKey(), rowVal)
 }
 
 // hashDiskRowIterator iterates over all unmarked rows in a
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ func (i *hashDiskRowIterator) isRowMarked() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	rowVal := i.Value()
+	rowVal := i.UnsafeValue()
 	return bytes.Equal(rowVal[len(rowVal)-len(encodedTrue):], encodedTrue)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/storage/diskmap/disk_map.go b/pkg/storage/diskmap/disk_map.go
index cb69475f1a8e..a398fab6d1f0 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/diskmap/disk_map.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/diskmap/disk_map.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type Factory interface {
 // 		} else if !ok {
 //			break
 // 		}
-// 		key := i.Key()
+// 		key := i.UnsafeKey()
 //		// Do something.
 // 	}
 type SortedDiskMapIterator interface {
@@ -49,12 +49,6 @@ type SortedDiskMapIterator interface {
 	Valid() (bool, error)
 	// Next advances the iterator to the next key in the iteration.
 	Next()
-	// Key returns the current key. The resulting byte slice is still valid
-	// after the next call to Seek(), Rewind(), or Next().
-	Key() []byte
-	// Value returns the current value. The resulting byte slice is still valid
-	// after the next call to Seek(), Rewind(), or Next().
-	Value() []byte
 
 	// UnsafeKey returns the same value as Key, but the memory is invalidated on
 	// the next call to {Next,Rewind,Seek,Close}.
diff --git a/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map.go b/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map.go
index 242cccaef535..670b78a8b661 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map.go
@@ -194,16 +194,6 @@ func (i *rocksDBMapIterator) Next() {
 	i.iter.Next()
 }
 
-// Key implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
-func (i *rocksDBMapIterator) Key() []byte {
-	return i.iter.Key().Key[len(i.prefix):]
-}
-
-// Value implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
-func (i *rocksDBMapIterator) Value() []byte {
-	return i.iter.Value()
-}
-
 // UnsafeKey implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
 func (i *rocksDBMapIterator) UnsafeKey() []byte {
 	return i.iter.UnsafeKey().Key[len(i.prefix):]
@@ -396,24 +386,6 @@ func (i *pebbleMapIterator) Next() {
 	i.iter.Next()
 }
 
-// Key implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
-func (i *pebbleMapIterator) Key() []byte {
-	unsafeKey := i.UnsafeKey()
-	safeKey := make([]byte, len(unsafeKey))
-	copy(safeKey, unsafeKey)
-
-	return safeKey
-}
-
-// Value implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
-func (i *pebbleMapIterator) Value() []byte {
-	unsafeValue := i.iter.Value()
-	safeValue := make([]byte, len(unsafeValue))
-	copy(safeValue, unsafeValue)
-
-	return safeValue
-}
-
 // UnsafeKey implements the SortedDiskMapIterator interface.
 func (i *pebbleMapIterator) UnsafeKey() []byte {
 	unsafeKey := i.iter.Key()
diff --git a/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map_test.go b/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map_test.go
index 5c881ef698aa..2cdf3bc8ba65 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map_test.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/engine/disk_map_test.go
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ func runTestForEngine(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, filename string, engine
 				}
 				valid, err := iter.Valid()
 				if valid && err == nil {
-					fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s:%s\n", iter.Key(), iter.Value())
+					fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s:%s\n", iter.UnsafeKey(), iter.UnsafeValue())
 				} else if err != nil {
 					fmt.Fprintf(&b, "err=%v\n", err)
 				} else {
@@ -381,8 +381,8 @@ func BenchmarkRocksDBMapIteration(b *testing.B) {
 					} else if !ok {
 						break
 					}
-					i.Key()
-					i.Value()
+					i.UnsafeKey()
+					i.UnsafeValue()
 				}
 				i.Close()
 			}
@@ -521,8 +521,8 @@ func BenchmarkPebbleMapIteration(b *testing.B) {
 					} else if !ok {
 						break
 					}
-					i.Key()
-					i.Value()
+					i.UnsafeKey()
+					i.UnsafeValue()
 				}
 				i.Close()
 			}