3 tips to make household surfaces sparkle

Dull surfaces can be depressing. There are some easy tricks to restoring shine in your home to keep you smiling — read on and learn more.

If you have a glass table, you're used to cleaning it often to remove smudge marks. To add a nice shine every time, try this.

1. Squeeze the juice of a halved lemon onto the surface of your glass table.
2. Next, rub it with a clean cloth.
3. Remove any excess juice.
4. Finally, buff the tabletop with a wad of newspaper.

Fireplace doors covered with soot and carbon can spoil the cosy effect of a fire. But it's not hard to clean the glass. Here's how to do it.

1. If the dirty side of the glass is easy to reach, leave the doors attached when cleaning. If you need to remove the doors, lay them on a soft towel to clean. Most doors have spring-loaded clips at the top for easy removal.
2. Start by scraping away any built-up deposits with a razor blade.
3. Next, fill a four-litre (one-gallon) bucket with water, add 500 millilitres (one cup) of white vinegar and two millilitres (0.5 teaspoon) of dishwashing liquid
4. Scrub with newspaper crumpled into a ball.
5. Rinse well with a clean sponge or towel, then dry the doors. Stand back and admire the view.

Less is more when cleaning a computer monitor or TV screen. This is the best approach.

1. Turn off the monitor and dust with a clean cloth, preferably an antistatic wipe.
2. Wipe the screen with a clean cloth barely dampened with water, from top to bottom.
3. If fingerprints and other marks remain, add a small amount of white vinegar to the cloth and wipe again.

If you have an LCD screen:

• LCD laptop screens should be wiped very lightly and only with a clean cloth (paper towels can scratch the sensitive surface).
• Never clean an LCD screen with commercial glass cleaners, which contain ammonia, acetone, ethyl alcohol, or other substances that can do serious damage.