diff --git a/lib/general.py b/lib/general.py
index 23cf4f3..c216a0b 100644
--- a/lib/general.py
+++ b/lib/general.py
@@ -155,13 +155,18 @@ def clean_text( text ):
 
     """ Removes characters that can cause trouble """
 
+    if six.PY2:
+        # Python 2 Fix
+        # TODO: Provide a proper fix that doesn't revolve removing characters
+        text = text.encode('ascii', 'ignore').decode('ascii')
+
     text = text.strip()
 
     if r'&' in text:
-        text = text.replace(r'&', '&')
+        text = text.replace(r'&', r'&')
 
         if r'&#' in text:
             # replace common ascii codes, will expand if needed
-            text = text.replace(r'"', '"').replace(r'&', '&').replace(r''', '’')
+            text = text.replace(r'"', r'"').replace(r'&', r'&').replace(r''', r"'")
 
     return text