Keeping your ‘Smart’ Home Clean's featured image

With the increasing number of screens and electronic gadgets in our homes, keeping them clean is becoming quite a challenge. A bit of old-fashioned polishing won’t necessarily work on fragile screens. What’s the best way to keep the dust off that plasma TV and clean the kids’ sticky fingerprints from your tablet?

Let’s start with the television. Sometimes it can be a real challenge getting rid of those annoying smudges on your expensive plasma screen. Aside from banning your kids from the living room, what else can you do?

Always ensure your TV is switched off and the screen has cooled down before you attempt to clean it. A simple microfibre cloth will do the job for you; make sure to purchase ultra-soft and non-abrasive microfibre cloths to prevent scratching your screen. A fluffy duster is another must-have tool for keeping your TV screen clean. A paper towel, on the other hand, is something you should avoid cleaning with, as a paper towel can result in tiny scratches on your screen, not to mention that they usually leave behind paper fibres.

To clean your tablet or smartphone screen, there’s one important rule you should remember: never use window cleaners, harsh chemicals or cleaning solvents to clean these screens. You should also never spray anything directly onto the screen. Some screens come with a special protective coating that cannot withstand chemicals found in most ordinary household cleaners.

Using water is often best, along with an ultra-soft, non-abrasive microfibre cloth. Dampen the cloth slightly and clean the screen using soft, even strokes.