diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5d4d4de..557fa54 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -100,5 +100,4 @@ This currently only supports lowercase text in the latin alphabet, and byte arra
 ## TODO
 
 - Add error handling
-- Do `AsRef` stuff
 - Optimize code
diff --git a/src/anybase.rs b/src/anybase.rs
index 665e91a..b57d33c 100644
--- a/src/anybase.rs
+++ b/src/anybase.rs
@@ -14,12 +14,12 @@ use crate::core;
 ///
 /// assert_eq!("meow mewo; mrrp mreow mrrp nyaaaa~ mreow mreow meow nyaaaa~; meow mrow meow mrrp mreow meow mrrp mewo", encode(text, base, char_length));
 /// ```
-pub fn encode(text: String, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> String {
+pub fn encode(text: impl AsRef<str>, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> String {
     let mut shortened_alphabet = core::alphabet();
     shortened_alphabet.truncate(base as usize);
 
     // makes it lowercase and split by spaces
-    let words: Vec<String> = text
+    let words: Vec<String> = text.as_ref()
         .to_ascii_lowercase()
         .split(" ")
         .map(|item| return item.to_string())
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ pub fn encode(text: String, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> String {
 
 /// assert_eq!("i love cats", decode(text, base, char_length));
 /// ```
-pub fn decode(text: String, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> String {
-    let catspeak_words: Vec<String> = text.split("; ").map(|item| item.to_string()).collect();
+pub fn decode(text: impl AsRef<str>, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> String {
+    let catspeak_words: Vec<String> = text.as_ref().split("; ").map(|item| item.to_string()).collect();
     let mut output: String = String::new();
     let mut shortened_alphabet = core::alphabet();
     shortened_alphabet.truncate(base as usize);
@@ -125,11 +125,11 @@ pub mod bytes {
     ///     decode(text, base, char_length)
     /// );
     /// ```
-    pub fn decode(text: String, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> Vec<u8> {
+    pub fn decode(text: impl AsRef<str>, base: u32, char_length: u32) -> Vec<u8> {
         let mut output: Vec<u8> = Vec::new();
         let mut shortened_alphabet = core::alphabet();
         shortened_alphabet.truncate(base as usize);
-        for byte in core::split_every_x(text.clone(), char_length) {
+        for byte in core::split_every_x(text.as_ref(), char_length) {
             output.push(core::cat_to_num(
                 byte.split(" ").map(|item| item.to_string()).collect(),
                 shortened_alphabet.clone(),
diff --git a/src/base4.rs b/src/base4.rs
index 14d8c61..3df8f74 100644
--- a/src/base4.rs
+++ b/src/base4.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ pub fn encode(text: impl AsRef<str>) -> String {
 ///
 /// assert_eq!("i love cats", decode("meow mreow mrrp; meow mrow meow meow mrow mrow mrrp mrrp mreow meow mrrp mrrp; meow meow mrow meow meow mrrp mrrp mrrp meow mrrp meow mrow".to_string()));
 /// ```
-pub fn decode(text: String) -> String {
+pub fn decode(text: impl AsRef<str>) -> String {
     return anybase::decode(text, 4, core::char_length(4));
 }
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ pub mod bytes {
     ///
     /// assert_eq!(vec![253, 1], decode("mrow mrow mrow mrrp meow meow meow mrrp".to_string()));
     /// ```
-    pub fn decode(text: String) -> Vec<u8> {
+    pub fn decode(text: impl AsRef<str>) -> Vec<u8> {
         anybase::bytes::decode(text, 4, char_length(4))
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/core.rs b/src/core.rs
index 89a7e4e..153062c 100644
--- a/src/core.rs
+++ b/src/core.rs
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ pub fn cat_to_num(text: Vec<String>, alphabet: Vec<String>, char_length: u32) ->
 ///
 /// assert_eq!(vec!["meow meow mrrp".to_string(), "meow mreow mrrp".to_string()], split_every_x("meow meow mrrp meow mreow mrrp".to_string(), 3));
 /// ```
-pub(crate) fn split_every_x(text: String, x: u32) -> Vec<String> {
+pub(crate) fn split_every_x(text: impl AsRef<str>, x: u32) -> Vec<String> {
     let x = x as usize;
     let delim = " ";
-    let tmp: Vec<String> = text.split(delim).map(|item| item.to_string()).collect();
+    let tmp: Vec<String> = text.as_ref().split(delim).map(|item| item.to_string()).collect();
     let mut output: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
     for i in 0..tmp.len() {
         if i % x == 0 {