diff --git a/src/aare/daq/daq.py b/src/aare/daq/daq.py
index 459d2b1a..7db37005 100644
--- a/src/aare/daq/daq.py
+++ b/src/aare/daq/daq.py
@@ -290,10 +290,15 @@ class AareDAQ:
             True if successful, False otherwise
         """
         try:
+            previous_sample = self.sample
+            if previous_sample is not None and previous_sample.db_id is not None:
+                self.__aare.send_sample_event(previous_sample, SampleEventType.UNMOUNTING)
             self.__set_state(BeamlineStateEnum.RobotSampleExchange)
             if sample is not None and sample.db_id is not None:
                 self.__aare.send_sample_event(sample, SampleEventType.MOUNTING)
             self.__mount(sample)
+            if previous_sample is not None and previous_sample.db_id is not None:
+                self.__aare.send_sample_event(previous_sample, SampleEventType.UNMOUNTED)
             if sample is not None and sample.db_id is not None:
                 self.__aare.send_sample_event(sample, SampleEventType.MOUNTED)
                 self.save_screenshot_db(sample.db_id, f"{sample.db_id}_mounted")
@@ -886,12 +891,11 @@ class AareDAQ:
         self.__devs.tell.check_enable_motion()
         self.__devs.tell.wait_not_busy()
         self.__devs.tell.set_in_mount_position(True)
+        previous_sample = self.__cfg.current_sample
         if target is None:
-            logger.debug(f"Unmounting sample: {self.__cfg.current_sample} (address: {self.__cfg.current_sample.tell_address()})")
+            logger.debug(f"Unmounting sample: {previous_sample} (address: {previous_sample.tell_address()})")
             try:
                 self.__devs.tell.unmount(wait=True, timeout=60.0)
-                if self.__cfg.current_sample is not None and self.__cfg.current_sample.db_id is not None:
-                    self.__aare.send_sample_event(self.__cfg.current_sample, SampleEventType.UNMOUNTED)
                 self.__cfg.current_sample = target
             except Exception as e:
                 raise UnmountingFailed(f"Failed to unmount: {e}")
@@ -899,12 +903,14 @@ class AareDAQ:
             try:
                 #TODO: how to differentiate between mounting and unmounting fails
                 # during a typucal mount call as this is handled by Tell?
-                logger.debug(f"Mounting sample: {target} (address: {target.tell_address()})")
+                log_msg =  f"Mounting sample: {target} (address: {target.tell_address()})"
+                if previous_sample is not None:
+                    log_msg = (f"Unmounting sample: {previous_sample} (address: {previous_sample.tell_address()})\n "
+                                f"and {log_msg}")
+                logger.debug(log_msg)
                 value = self.__devs.tell.mount(address=target.tell_address(), force=True, auto_unmount=True, read_dm=False,
                                        wait=True, timeout=360.0)
                 self.__mount_failure_handler(value)
-                if self.__cfg.current_sample is not None and self.__cfg.current_sample.db_id is not None:
-                    self.__aare.send_sample_event(self.__cfg.current_sample, SampleEventType.UNMOUNTED)
                 logger.info(f"Mount result: {value}")
                 self.__cfg.current_sample = target
             except Exception as e: