Any tips for cleaning a whiteboard?

[chocolate-chip chooky]

We use our whiteboard every day and it's getting an oily build up on it that the whiteboard eraser isn't stripping. 

I've used metho once or twice, but I've heard that that can limit the overall lifetime of the board.

 

Any quick tips?

 

Thanks!

[wendyroo]

I occasionally use a magic eraser on ours to clean it up.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I occasionally use a magic eraser on ours to clean it up.

 

Thanks Wendy.

Is that the white blockish thingy you get in the laundry/cleaning section of the grocery shop?

 

My sad lack of homemaker skills are on display here  :blushing:

[wendyroo]

Yep, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  Just get it wet and use a bit of elbow grease and all sorts of things get magically clean.  I am a big fan.

 

Wendy

[Retired]

had the same white board for 15 years when it gets build up I use rubbing alcohol with paper towel and thankfully even get off permanent marker

[EKS]

Rubbing alcohol or that special whiteboard solvent stuff.  I wouldn't use a Magic Eraser because it is somewhat abrasive.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Thanks folks.

Those commercial whiteboard solvent cleaners make my eyes water and my head hurt. I'm not great with strong chemical smells.

 

I guess I was hoping someone would chime in with a lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda style solution  :o

 

I do have some rubbing alcohol, so I'll try that first. If it doesn't work, I'll pick up a Magic Eraser next time I'm shopping.

 

Thanks heap for your help!

[Seasider]

Every once in a while i actually use the magic potion from the dry erase board people. Not every time, because it's expensive, but it does seem to work better than anything else.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Every once in a while i actually use the magic potion from the dry erase board people. Not every time, because it's expensive, but it does seem to work better than anything else.

 

If I get desperate, I'll actually use this stuff. Shame it makes me gag.  :ack2:

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

You can use any kind of strong drinking alcohol, and the higher the alcohol content, the better. We had Everclear here that that wasn't getting used for anything, so I used that on the whiteboard occasionally. 

 

Also, the whiteboard erasers themselves get a gunky buildup, and eventually they're just smearing all that oil around on the board. I switched over to using small rags (cut-up bath towel), and they just go in the rag wash like everything else. They work much better.

[Lori D.]

Windex? That seemed to knock down the "ghost" marker residue for us. We have the small melamine lapboard type of whiteboards, NOT the magnetic type. Since I only use it on the whiteboards 3-4x/year, it does not seem to have done any damage, and it does seem to make the boards whiter and shinier. I don't know as though we have ever had an oily residue, so I don't know if Windex would address that or not.

 

 

ETA -- PS

I just did a quick search, and it looks like it depends on what type of whiteboard you have. The non-magnetic boards are made of melamine, while the magnetic boards are porcelain steel. For the second type do not use whiteboard cleaners as they build up a residue that has to be washed off or the whiteboard stops working.

 

Apparently fingernail polish remover and Windex are NOT the way to go. The suggestions I saw the most are soap and water/rinse with clean water, or, wash with a mix of water and the 90% or 99% isopropyl alcohol (up to 50/50 mix), but rinse with clean water and dry before using.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Lori D.

[Wishes]

Hand sanitizer.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

The Expo Whiteboard Cleaner not only cleans, but it leaves a wonderful slick finish that keeps the board clean longer.

 

Magic Erasers are abrasive, and will wear the slick finish off if used regularly.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I knew there'd be a wealth of knowledge here  :hurray: .

 

Thanks heaps.

 

It's soooo frustrating when it just won't write.  Sometimes that magic moment of learning can be lost while we scramble to find a pen that works, only to realise that the issue must be the board.

[Rosie_0801]

If it's oily, would dishwashing detergent work?

[nd293]

Acetone works well. It should NOT be used to remove whiteboard pen from your IKEA kitchen cupboards, this has been established through experimentation...

[nd293]

Spray deodorant also works.