diff --git a/db/db_iter.cc b/db/db_iter.cc
index 16fcf9f793..3280b4d740 100644
--- a/db/db_iter.cc
+++ b/db/db_iter.cc
@@ -264,6 +264,10 @@ class DBIter final: public Iterator {
 
   Status status_;
   IterKey saved_key_;
+  // Reusable internal key data structure. This is only used inside one function
+  // and should not be used across functions. Reusing this object can reduce
+  // overhead of calling construction of the function if creating it each time.
+  ParsedInternalKey ikey_;
   std::string saved_value_;
   Slice pinned_value_;
   Direction direction_;
@@ -377,22 +381,20 @@ void DBIter::FindNextUserEntryInternal(bool skipping, bool prefix_check) {
   uint64_t num_skipped = 0;
 
   do {
-    ParsedInternalKey ikey;
-
-    if (!ParseKey(&ikey)) {
+    if (!ParseKey(&ikey_)) {
       // Skip corrupted keys.
       iter_->Next();
       continue;
     }
 
     if (iterate_upper_bound_ != nullptr &&
-        user_comparator_->Compare(ikey.user_key, *iterate_upper_bound_) >= 0) {
+        user_comparator_->Compare(ikey_.user_key, *iterate_upper_bound_) >= 0) {
       break;
     }
 
     if (prefix_extractor_ && prefix_check &&
-        prefix_extractor_->Transform(ikey.user_key)
-          .compare(prefix_start_key_) != 0) {
+        prefix_extractor_->Transform(ikey_.user_key)
+                .compare(prefix_start_key_) != 0) {
       break;
     }
 
@@ -400,32 +402,31 @@ void DBIter::FindNextUserEntryInternal(bool skipping, bool prefix_check) {
       return;
     }
 
-    if (ikey.sequence <= sequence_) {
-      if (skipping &&
-          user_comparator_->Compare(ikey.user_key, saved_key_.GetUserKey()) <=
-              0) {
+    if (ikey_.sequence <= sequence_) {
+      if (skipping && user_comparator_->Compare(ikey_.user_key,
+                                                saved_key_.GetUserKey()) <= 0) {
         num_skipped++;  // skip this entry
         PERF_COUNTER_ADD(internal_key_skipped_count, 1);
       } else {
         num_skipped = 0;
-        switch (ikey.type) {
+        switch (ikey_.type) {
           case kTypeDeletion:
           case kTypeSingleDeletion:
             // Arrange to skip all upcoming entries for this key since
             // they are hidden by this deletion.
             saved_key_.SetUserKey(
-                ikey.user_key,
-                !iter_->IsKeyPinned() || !pin_thru_lifetime_ /* copy */);
+                ikey_.user_key,
+                !pin_thru_lifetime_ || !iter_->IsKeyPinned() /* copy */);
             skipping = true;
             PERF_COUNTER_ADD(internal_delete_skipped_count, 1);
             break;
           case kTypeValue:
             saved_key_.SetUserKey(
-                ikey.user_key,
-                !iter_->IsKeyPinned() || !pin_thru_lifetime_ /* copy */);
+                ikey_.user_key,
+                !pin_thru_lifetime_ || !iter_->IsKeyPinned() /* copy */);
             if (range_del_agg_.ShouldDelete(
-                    ikey, RangeDelAggregator::RangePositioningMode::
-                              kForwardTraversal)) {
+                    ikey_, RangeDelAggregator::RangePositioningMode::
+                               kForwardTraversal)) {
               // Arrange to skip all upcoming entries for this key since
               // they are hidden by this deletion.
               skipping = true;
@@ -438,11 +439,11 @@ void DBIter::FindNextUserEntryInternal(bool skipping, bool prefix_check) {
             break;
           case kTypeMerge:
             saved_key_.SetUserKey(
-                ikey.user_key,
-                !iter_->IsKeyPinned() || !pin_thru_lifetime_ /* copy */);
+                ikey_.user_key,
+                !pin_thru_lifetime_ || !iter_->IsKeyPinned() /* copy */);
             if (range_del_agg_.ShouldDelete(
-                    ikey, RangeDelAggregator::RangePositioningMode::
-                              kForwardTraversal)) {
+                    ikey_, RangeDelAggregator::RangePositioningMode::
+                               kForwardTraversal)) {
               // Arrange to skip all upcoming entries for this key since
               // they are hidden by this deletion.
               skipping = true;
@@ -468,12 +469,12 @@ void DBIter::FindNextUserEntryInternal(bool skipping, bool prefix_check) {
 
       // Here saved_key_ may contain some old key, or the default empty key, or
       // key assigned by some random other method. We don't care.
-      if (user_comparator_->Compare(ikey.user_key, saved_key_.GetUserKey()) <=
+      if (user_comparator_->Compare(ikey_.user_key, saved_key_.GetUserKey()) <=
           0) {
         num_skipped++;
       } else {
         saved_key_.SetUserKey(
-            ikey.user_key,
+            ikey_.user_key,
             !iter_->IsKeyPinned() || !pin_thru_lifetime_ /* copy */);
         skipping = false;
         num_skipped = 0;
diff --git a/table/merging_iterator.cc b/table/merging_iterator.cc
index 4f1ab4ffe8..d48f8ebc99 100644
--- a/table/merging_iterator.cc
+++ b/table/merging_iterator.cc
@@ -156,21 +156,7 @@ class MergingIterator : public InternalIterator {
     // true for all of the non-current children since current_ is
     // the smallest child and key() == current_->key().
     if (direction_ != kForward) {
-      // Otherwise, advance the non-current children.  We advance current_
-      // just after the if-block.
-      ClearHeaps();
-      for (auto& child : children_) {
-        if (&child != current_) {
-          child.Seek(key());
-          if (child.Valid() && comparator_->Equal(key(), child.key())) {
-            child.Next();
-          }
-        }
-        if (child.Valid()) {
-          minHeap_.push(&child);
-        }
-      }
-      direction_ = kForward;
+      SwitchToForward();
       // The loop advanced all non-current children to be > key() so current_
       // should still be strictly the smallest key.
       assert(current_ == CurrentForward());
@@ -330,6 +316,8 @@ class MergingIterator : public InternalIterator {
   std::unique_ptr<MergerMaxIterHeap> maxHeap_;
   PinnedIteratorsManager* pinned_iters_mgr_;
 
+  void SwitchToForward();
+
   IteratorWrapper* CurrentForward() const {
     assert(direction_ == kForward);
     return !minHeap_.empty() ? minHeap_.top() : nullptr;
@@ -342,6 +330,24 @@ class MergingIterator : public InternalIterator {
   }
 };
 
+void MergingIterator::SwitchToForward() {
+  // Otherwise, advance the non-current children.  We advance current_
+  // just after the if-block.
+  ClearHeaps();
+  for (auto& child : children_) {
+    if (&child != current_) {
+      child.Seek(key());
+      if (child.Valid() && comparator_->Equal(key(), child.key())) {
+        child.Next();
+      }
+    }
+    if (child.Valid()) {
+      minHeap_.push(&child);
+    }
+  }
+  direction_ = kForward;
+}
+
 void MergingIterator::ClearHeaps() {
   minHeap_.clear();
   if (maxHeap_) {