diff --git a/src/mu-msg-file.c b/src/mu-msg-file.c
index 5409bb0d..00a19136 100644
--- a/src/mu-msg-file.c
+++ b/src/mu-msg-file.c
@@ -224,7 +224,12 @@ get_recipient (MuMsgFile *self, GMimeRecipientType rtype)
 
 	/* FALSE --> don't encode */
 	recip = (char*)internet_address_list_to_string (recips, FALSE);
-	
+
+	if (recip && !g_utf8_validate (recip, -1, NULL)) {
+		g_debug ("invalid recipient in %s\n", self->_path);
+		mu_str_asciify_in_place (recip); /* ugly... */
+	}
+		
 	if (mu_str_is_empty(recip)) {
 		g_free (recip);
 		return NULL;
@@ -484,41 +489,6 @@ get_body_cb (GMimeObject *parent, GMimeObject *part, GetBodyData *data)
 }	
 
 
-/* turn \0-terminated buf into ascii (which is a utf8 subset); convert
- *   any non-ascii into '.'
- */
-static void
-asciify (char *buf)
-{
-	char *c;
-	for (c = buf; c && *c; ++c)
-		if (!isascii(*c))
-			c[0] = '.';
-}
-
-
-
-static gchar*
-text_to_utf8 (const char* buffer, const char *charset)
-{
-	GError *err;
-	gchar * utf8;
-
-	err = NULL;
-	utf8 = g_convert_with_fallback (buffer, -1, "UTF-8",
-					charset, (gchar*)".", 
-					NULL, NULL, &err);
-	if (!utf8) {
-		MU_WRITE_LOG ("%s: conversion failed from %s: %s",
-			      __FUNCTION__, charset,
-			      err ? err->message : "");
-		if (err)
-			g_error_free (err);
-	}
-	
-	return utf8;
-}
-
 
 /* NOTE: buffer will be *freed* or returned unchanged */
 static char*
@@ -543,7 +513,7 @@ convert_to_utf8 (GMimePart *part, char *buffer)
 	
 	/* of course, the charset specified may be incorrect... */
 	if (charset) {
-		char *utf8 = text_to_utf8 (buffer, charset);
+		char *utf8 = mu_str_convert_to_utf8 (buffer, charset);
 		if (utf8) {
 			g_free (buffer);
 			return utf8;
@@ -551,9 +521,8 @@ convert_to_utf8 (GMimePart *part, char *buffer)
 	}
 
 	/* hmmm.... no charset at all, or conversion failed; ugly
-	 *  hack: replace all non-ascii chars with '.'
-	 *  instead... TODO: come up with something better */
-	asciify (buffer);
+	 *  hack: replace all non-ascii chars with '.' */
+	mu_str_asciify_in_place (buffer);
 	return buffer;
 }
 
@@ -719,6 +688,28 @@ get_tags (MuMsgFile *self)
 }
 
 
+/* wrongly encoded messages my cause GMime to return invalid
+ * UTF8... we double check, and ensure our output is always correct
+ * utf8 */
+gchar *
+maybe_cleanup (const char* str, const char *path, gboolean *do_free)
+{
+	if (!str || G_LIKELY(g_utf8_validate(str, -1, NULL)))
+		return (char*)str;
+
+	g_debug ("invalid utf8 in %s", path);
+	
+	if (*do_free)
+		return mu_str_asciify_in_place ((char*)str);
+	else {
+		gchar *ascii;
+		ascii = mu_str_asciify_in_place(g_strdup (str));
+		*do_free = TRUE;
+		return ascii;
+	}
+}
+
+
 char*
 mu_msg_file_get_str_field (MuMsgFile *self, MuMsgFieldId mfid,
 			   gboolean *do_free)
@@ -742,14 +733,18 @@ mu_msg_file_get_str_field (MuMsgFile *self, MuMsgFieldId mfid,
 	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_CC: *do_free = TRUE;
 		return get_recipient (self, GMIME_RECIPIENT_TYPE_CC);
 
-	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_FROM:
-		return (char*)g_mime_message_get_sender (self->_mime_msg);
-		
+	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_FROM: 
+		return (char*)maybe_cleanup
+			(g_mime_message_get_sender (self->_mime_msg),
+			 self->_path, do_free);
+
 	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_PATH:
 		return self->_path;
 		
 	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_SUBJECT:
-		return (char*)g_mime_message_get_subject (self->_mime_msg);
+		return (char*)maybe_cleanup
+			(g_mime_message_get_subject (self->_mime_msg),
+			 self->_path, do_free);
 
 	case MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_TO: *do_free = TRUE;
 		return get_recipient (self, GMIME_RECIPIENT_TYPE_TO);
diff --git a/src/mu-str.c b/src/mu-str.c
index 8a16072b..3c840e72 100644
--- a/src/mu-str.c
+++ b/src/mu-str.c
@@ -349,7 +349,6 @@ gint64
 mu_str_size_parse_bkm (const char* str)
 {
 	gint64 num;
-	const char *cur;
 
 	g_return_val_if_fail (str, -1);
 
@@ -547,6 +546,46 @@ mu_str_escape_c_literal (const gchar* str)
 }
 
 
+
+/* turn \0-terminated buf into ascii (which is a utf8 subset); convert
+ *   any non-ascii into '.'
+ */
+char*
+mu_str_asciify_in_place (char *buf)
+{
+	char *c;
+	for (c = buf; c && *c; ++c)
+		if (!isascii(*c))
+			c[0] = '.';
+
+	return buf;
+}
+
+gchar*
+mu_str_convert_to_utf8 (const char* buffer, const char *charset)
+{
+	GError *err;
+	gchar * utf8;
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (buffer, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (charset, NULL );
+	
+	err = NULL;
+	utf8 = g_convert_with_fallback (buffer, -1, "UTF-8",
+					charset, NULL, 
+					NULL, NULL, &err);
+	if (!utf8) {
+		g_debug ("%s: conversion failed from %s: %s",
+			 __FUNCTION__, charset, err ? err->message : "");
+		if (err)
+			g_error_free (err);
+	}
+	
+	return utf8;
+}
+
+
+
 gchar*
 mu_str_guess_last_name (const char *name)
 {
diff --git a/src/mu-str.h b/src/mu-str.h
index 0ecd1065..51041452 100644
--- a/src/mu-str.h
+++ b/src/mu-str.h
@@ -255,6 +255,31 @@ char* mu_str_escape_c_literal (const gchar* str)
         G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
 
 
+
+/**
+ * turn a string into plain ascii by replacing each non-ascii
+ * character with a dot ('.'). replacement is done in-place.
+ * 
+ * @param buf a buffer to asciify
+ * 
+ * @return the buf ptr (as to allow for function composition)
+ */
+char* mu_str_asciify_in_place (char *buf);
+
+
+/**
+ * convert a string in a certain charset into utf8
+ * 
+ * @param buffer a buffer to convert
+ * @param charset source character set.
+ * 
+ * @return a UTF8 string (which you need to g_free when done with it),
+ * or NULL in case of error
+ */
+gchar* mu_str_convert_to_utf8 (const char* buffer, const char *charset);
+
+
+
 /**
  * macro to check whether the string is empty, ie. if it's NULL or
  * it's length is 0