Whiteboard Cleaning Tips - Remove Old Dry Erase and Permanent Marker

Almost every office at my company has a dry erase whiteboard. They are great for jotting down notes, brainstorming and conveying your thoughts to others. The whiteboards around our office get used a lot so it doesn’t take long before the dry erase markers can become hard to remove. We often have meetings and leave the notes on the whiteboard for several days before we comeback to finish our thoughts. After this time the dry erase marks can become etched into the board and eventually won't even erase. This is especially true if the office has a window. The sun seems to burn the marks into the board. Then there was the time that John used a permanent marker instead of dry erase marker! Luckily we have solutions to all of these whiteboard problems.

The easiest way to remove dried on dry erase marks is to write over the marks with a new marker and let the new marks stand for about 30 seconds, and then wipe them off with a dry erase eraser. Sometimes this won’t be enough to remove the marks so you have to bring out the big boys. Here are the best ones we have found:

· Nail Polish Remover (acetone) – this works great and it is easy to find a lady friend with some. Just put some on a paper towel and wipe down the whiteboard. The only downside is that the stuff is pretty stinky. (Highly Flammable)

· Isopropyl Alcohol – this works well and can usually be found in the first aid kit. Just use a paper towel to wipe the board down. (Highly Flammable)

· Mr. Clean – the Mr. Clean Magic eraser does a great job on removing those really hard to remove marks, even the permanent ones John left.

· Hand Sanitizer – the main ingredient in hand sanitizer is alcohol. This works great and it is easy to find around the office. Just squirt some on a paper towel and go to town.

· 50% white vinegar and 50% water – this solution is by far the best. The only problem is that vinegar isn’t something that is usually around the office.

Now that you have a shinny clean white board you should do a little extra work to keep it erasing with ease. The easiest item we have found around the office is Pledge. The cleaning lady has a whole closet full of the stuff. Just spray a liberal amount and spread it around with a paper towel. I usually like to do two coats and then re-wipe the board after it has dried for about 15 minutes. Until the Pledge is dry, dry erase markers won’t work very well. We have also used dryer sheets and baby oil, but these are not usually around our office. To keep your board in tip top shape, you should restore it about every other month.

I don’t know what we would do without our white boards, so I would love to get your favorite tips. Happy cleaning.