diff --git a/console.go b/console.go
index e8eeaa33..cc6d623e 100644
--- a/console.go
+++ b/console.go
@@ -155,6 +155,15 @@ func (w ConsoleWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	return len(p), err
 }
 
+// Call the underlying writer's Close method if it is an io.Closer. Otherwise
+// does nothing.
+func (w ConsoleWriter) Close() error {
+	if closer, ok := w.Out.(io.Closer); ok {
+		return closer.Close()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // writeFields appends formatted key-value pairs to buf.
 func (w ConsoleWriter) writeFields(evt map[string]interface{}, buf *bytes.Buffer) {
 	var fields = make([]string, 0, len(evt))
diff --git a/ctx_test.go b/ctx_test.go
index 397e966c..6315cf7a 100644
--- a/ctx_test.go
+++ b/ctx_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog/internal/cbor"
 )
 
 func TestCtx(t *testing.T) {
@@ -93,7 +95,7 @@ func Test_InterfaceLogObjectMarshaler(t *testing.T) {
 
 	withLog.Info().Msg("test")
 
-	if got, want := buf.String(), `{"level":"info","obj":{"name":"custom_value","age":29},"message":"test"}`+"\n"; got != want {
+	if got, want := cbor.DecodeIfBinaryToString(buf.Bytes()), `{"level":"info","obj":{"name":"custom_value","age":29},"message":"test"}`+"\n"; got != want {
 		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got, want)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/diode/diode_test.go b/diode/diode_test.go
index a8d25076..ab6b55e3 100644
--- a/diode/diode_test.go
+++ b/diode/diode_test.go
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func TestFatal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	want := "{\"level\":\"fatal\",\"message\":\"test\"}\n"
-	got := string(slurp)
+	got := cbor.DecodeIfBinaryToString(slurp)
 	if got != want {
 		t.Errorf("Diode Fatal Test failed. got:%s, want:%s!", got, want)
 	}
diff --git a/syslog.go b/syslog.go
index c4082830..a2b7285d 100644
--- a/syslog.go
+++ b/syslog.go
@@ -78,3 +78,12 @@ func (sw syslogWriter) WriteLevel(level Level, p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	n = len(p)
 	return
 }
+
+// Call the underlying writer's Close method if it is an io.Closer. Otherwise
+// does nothing.
+func (sw syslogWriter) Close() error {
+	if c, ok := sw.w.(io.Closer); ok {
+		return c.Close()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/writer.go b/writer.go
index 138a612e..41b394d7 100644
--- a/writer.go
+++ b/writer.go
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ func (lw LevelWriterAdapter) WriteLevel(l Level, p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	return lw.Write(p)
 }
 
+// Call the underlying writer's Close method if it is an io.Closer. Otherwise
+// does nothing.
 func (lw LevelWriterAdapter) Close() error {
 	if closer, ok := lw.Writer.(io.Closer); ok {
 		return closer.Close()
@@ -105,6 +107,9 @@ func (t multiLevelWriter) WriteLevel(l Level, p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	return n, err
 }
 
+// Calls close on all the underlying writers that are io.Closers. If any of the
+// Close methods return an error, the remainder of the closers are not closed
+// and the error is returned.
 func (t multiLevelWriter) Close() error {
 	for _, w := range t.writers {
 		if closer, ok := w.(io.Closer); ok {