diff --git a/examples/schema-perl.pm b/examples/schema-perl.pm
index 147b7253..8da72a2a 100644
--- a/examples/schema-perl.pm
+++ b/examples/schema-perl.pm
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ EOM
     regexp => [
         <<'EOM',
         my $string = 'unblessed';
-        utf8::upgrade($string);
         qr{$string}
 EOM
         <<"EOM",
@@ -88,7 +87,6 @@ EOM
     regexp_blessed => [
         <<'EOM',
         my $string = 'blessed';
-        utf8::upgrade($string);
         bless qr{$string}, "Foo"
 EOM
         <<"EOM",
diff --git a/lib/YAML/PP.pm b/lib/YAML/PP.pm
index 13a945ed..88f90ee1 100644
--- a/lib/YAML/PP.pm
+++ b/lib/YAML/PP.pm
@@ -579,14 +579,17 @@ The layout is like libyaml output:
     my $doc = $ypp->load_string("foo: bar");
     my @docs = $ypp->load_string("foo: bar\n---\n- a");
 
-Input should be Unicode characters (decoded).
+Input should be Unicode characters.
+
+So if you read from a file, you should decode it, for example with
+C<Encode::decode_utf8($bytes)>.
 
 =item load_file
 
     my $doc = $ypp->load_file("file.yaml");
     my @docs = $ypp->load_file("file.yaml");
 
-Strings will be loaded as unicode characters (decoded).
+Strings will be loaded as unicode characters.
 
 =item dump_string
 
@@ -594,10 +597,13 @@ Strings will be loaded as unicode characters (decoded).
     my $yaml = $ypp->dump_string($doc1, $doc2);
     my $yaml = $ypp->dump_string(@docs);
 
-Input strings should be Unicode characters. If not, they will be upgraded with
+Input strings should be Unicode characters.
 C<utf8::upgrade>.
 
-Output will return Unicode characters (decoded).
+Output will return Unicode characters.
+
+So if you want to write that to a file (or pass to YAML::XS, for example),
+you typically encode it via C<Encode::encode_utf8($yaml)>.
 
 =item dump_file
 
@@ -605,8 +611,7 @@ Output will return Unicode characters (decoded).
     $ypp->dump_file("file.yaml", $doc1, $doc2);
     $ypp->dump_file("file.yaml", @docs);
 
-Input data should be UTF-8 decoded. If not, it will be upgraded with
-C<utf8::upgrade>.
+Input data should be Unicode characters.
 
 =item dump
 
diff --git a/lib/YAML/PP/Emitter.pm b/lib/YAML/PP/Emitter.pm
index 0c75cb0a..f7f640fa 100644
--- a/lib/YAML/PP/Emitter.pm
+++ b/lib/YAML/PP/Emitter.pm
@@ -335,13 +335,45 @@ my %control = (
     "\x1d" => '\x1d',
     "\x1e" => '\x1e',
     "\x1f" => '\x1f',
+    "\x7f" => '\x7f',
+    "\x80" => '\x80',
+    "\x81" => '\x81',
+    "\x82" => '\x82',
+    "\x83" => '\x83',
+    "\x84" => '\x84',
+    "\x86" => '\x86',
+    "\x87" => '\x87',
+    "\x88" => '\x88',
+    "\x89" => '\x89',
+    "\x8a" => '\x8a',
+    "\x8b" => '\x8b',
+    "\x8c" => '\x8c',
+    "\x8d" => '\x8d',
+    "\x8e" => '\x8e',
+    "\x8f" => '\x8f',
+    "\x90" => '\x90',
+    "\x91" => '\x91',
+    "\x92" => '\x92',
+    "\x93" => '\x93',
+    "\x94" => '\x94',
+    "\x95" => '\x95',
+    "\x96" => '\x96',
+    "\x97" => '\x97',
+    "\x98" => '\x98',
+    "\x99" => '\x99',
+    "\x9a" => '\x9a',
+    "\x9b" => '\x9b',
+    "\x9c" => '\x9c',
+    "\x9d" => '\x9d',
+    "\x9e" => '\x9e',
+    "\x9f" => '\x9f',
     "\x{2029}" => '\P',
     "\x{2028}" => '\L',
     "\x85" => '\N',
     "\xa0" => '\_',
 );
 
-my $control_re = '\x00-\x08\x0b\x0c\x0e-\x1f\x{2029}\x{2028}\x85\xa0';
+my $control_re = '\x00-\x08\x0b\x0c\x0e-\x1f\x7f-\x84\x86-\x9f\x{d800}-\x{dfff}\x{fffe}\x{ffff}\x{2028}\x{2029}\x85\xa0';
 my %to_escape = (
     "\n" => '\n',
     "\t" => '\t',
@@ -361,9 +393,6 @@ sub scalar_event {
     my $last = $stack->[-1];
     my $indent = $last->{indent};
     my $value = $info->{value};
-    unless (utf8::is_utf8($value)) {
-        utf8::upgrade($value);
-    }
 
     my $props = '';
     my $anchor = $info->{anchor};
@@ -506,7 +535,7 @@ sub scalar_event {
         }
     }
     else {
-        $value =~ s/([$escape_re"\\])/$to_escape{ $1 }/g;
+        $value =~ s/([$escape_re"\\])/$to_escape{ $1 } || sprintf '\\u%04x', ord($1)/eg;
         $value = '"' . $value . '"';
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Binary.pm b/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Binary.pm
index 360d30f9..1561295b 100644
--- a/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Binary.pm
+++ b/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Binary.pm
@@ -63,13 +63,18 @@ YAML::PP::Schema::Binary - Schema for loading and binary data
     my $yp = YAML::PP->new( schema => [qw/ JSON Binary /] );
     # or
 
-    my $binary = $yp->load_string(<<'EOM');
+    my ($binary, $same_binary) = $yp->load_string(<<'EOM');
     # The binary value a tiny arrow encoded as a gif image.
     --- !!binary "\
       R0lGODlhDAAMAIQAAP//9/X17unp5WZmZgAAAOfn515eXvPz7Y6OjuDg4J+fn5\
       OTk6enp56enmlpaWNjY6Ojo4SEhP/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/+\
       +f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++SH+Dk1hZGUgd2l0aCBHSU1QACwAAAAADAAMAAAFLC\
       AgjoEwnuNAFOhpEMTRiggcz4BNJHrv/zCFcLiwMWYNG84BwwEeECcgggoBADs="
+    --- !!binary |
+      R0lGODlhDAAMAIQAAP//9/X17unp5WZmZgAAAOfn515eXvPz7Y6OjuDg4J+fn5
+      OTk6enp56enmlpaWNjY6Ojo4SEhP/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++f/+
+      +f/++f/++f/++f/++f/++SH+Dk1hZGUgd2l0aCBHSU1QACwAAAAADAAMAAAFLC
+      AgjoEwnuNAFOhpEMTRiggcz4BNJHrv/zCFcLiwMWYNG84BwwEeECcgggoBADs=
     EOM
 
 =head1 DESCRIPTION
@@ -77,8 +82,10 @@ YAML::PP::Schema::Binary - Schema for loading and binary data
 By prepending a base64 encoded binary string with the C<!!binary> tag, it can
 be automatically decoded when loading.
 
-If you are using this schema, any string containing C<[\x{7F}-\x{10FFFF}]>
-will be dumped as binary. That also includes encoded utf8.
+Note that the logic for dumping is probably broken, see
+L<https://github.com/perlpunk/YAML-PP-p5/issues/28>.
+
+Suggestions welcome.
 
 =head1 METHODS
 
diff --git a/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Perl.pm b/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Perl.pm
index 33b824e1..9cc3aecd 100644
--- a/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Perl.pm
+++ b/lib/YAML/PP/Schema/Perl.pm
@@ -715,7 +715,6 @@ YAML:
 
         # Code
         my $string = 'unblessed';
-        utf8::upgrade($string);
         qr{$string}
 
 
@@ -727,7 +726,6 @@ YAML:
 
         # Code
         my $string = 'blessed';
-        utf8::upgrade($string);
         bless qr{$string}, "Foo"
 
 
diff --git a/t/45.binary.t b/t/45.binary.t
index 840ebdac..caed5696 100644
--- a/t/45.binary.t
+++ b/t/45.binary.t
@@ -59,35 +59,38 @@ my @tests = (
     [binary => "\xE0\x83\xBF"],
     [binary => "\xF0\x80\x83\xBF"],
     [binary => "\xF0\x80\xA3\x80"],
-    [binary => $gif,],
+    [binary => [$gif, decode_utf8("ä")],],
+    [binary => [$gif, 'foo'],],
 );
 
 subtest roundtrip => sub {
     for my $item (@tests) {
         select undef, undef, undef, 0.1;
-        my ($type, $string) = @$item;
+        my ($type, $data) = @$item;
         local $Data::Dumper::Useqq = 1;
-        my $label = Data::Dumper->Dump([$string], ['string']);
+        my $label = Data::Dumper->Dump([$data], ['data']);
         chomp $label;
         note("\n\n\n=============== $type: $label");
-        my $dump = $yp->dump_string($string);
+        my $dump = $yp->dump_string($data);
+        #note("========= YAML:\n$dump");
         my $reload = $yp->load_string($dump);
-        if ($type eq 'binary') {
-            if (utf8::is_utf8($reload)) {
-                utf8::downgrade($reload);
-            }
+        if (ref $reload eq 'ARRAY') {
+            cmp_ok($reload->[0], 'eq', $data->[0], "Reload binary->[0] ok ($label)");
+            cmp_ok($reload->[1], 'eq', $data->[1], "Reload binary->[1] ok ($label)");
+        }
+        else {
+            cmp_ok($reload, 'eq', $data, "Reload binary ok ($label)");
         }
-        cmp_ok($reload, 'eq', $string, "Reload binary ok ($label)");
     }
 };
 
 subtest roundtrip_binary => sub {
     for my $item (@tests) {
-        my ($type, $string) = @$item;
+        my ($type, $data) = @$item;
         local $Data::Dumper::Useqq = 1;
-        my $label = Data::Dumper->Dump([$string], ['string']);
+        my $label = Data::Dumper->Dump([$data], ['data']);
         note("=============== $type: $label");
-        my $dump = $yp_binary->dump_string($string);
+        my $dump = $yp_binary->dump_string($data);
         if ($type eq 'binary') {
             like($dump, qr{!!binary}, "Output YAML contains !!binary");
         }
@@ -95,7 +98,13 @@ subtest roundtrip_binary => sub {
             unlike($dump, qr{!!binary}, "Output YAML does not contain !!binary");
         }
         my $reload = $yp_binary->load_string($dump);
-        cmp_ok($reload, 'eq', $string, "Reload binary ok ($label)");
+        if (ref $reload eq 'ARRAY') {
+            cmp_ok($reload->[0], 'eq', $data->[0], "Reload binary->[0] ok ($label)");
+            cmp_ok($reload->[1], 'eq', $data->[1], "Reload binary->[1] ok ($label)");
+        }
+        else {
+            cmp_ok($reload, 'eq', $data, "Reload binary ok ($label)");
+        }
     }
 };