The goal of whiteboard cleaning is to find the most effective and safe method.
Whiteboards can take a beating when used frequently, and the shiny white background can quickly turn into an unattractive, smeared, cloudy mess that is difficult to read. Multiple methods are suggested for cleaning whiteboards. The dry cleaning method is often the first choice, but when it does not work well there are other solutions that may be used. It does not take long to get a whiteboard cleaned and looking appealing again.
Keep a Whiteboard in Good Shape
Only clean markers created for dry-erase boards should be used.
It is imperative to use a clean dry-erase marker that is made for writing on a whiteboard. Characters on the whiteboard should dry before attempts are made to wipe them away, or residue will remain. Writing needs to be erased often as it is no longer needed. Writing that is left on a whiteboard for a long time will set into the whiteboard and become very hard to remove.
Dry Cleaning a Whiteboard
The eraser may be full of ink and not be removing enough residue, so use a paper towel to wipe down the board evenly. The paper towel or a clean, dry cloth has an absorbent material which will remove residue and clean better than an eraser alone. On a test of many whiteboard cleaners, dry cloths were given a fair overall whiteboard cleaning score and took away dry-erase marks.
Deeper Cleaning of a Whiteboard
A variety of cleaners has been proven effective on whiteboards.
Find a cleaner specific to whiteboards. MB10W Whiteboard Cleaner by Solutions MB was listed as the best cleaner tested during one group's testing of 29 cleaners on a whiteboard that had been allowed to sit for over a month with dry-erase marks all over it. Other top scoring cleaners from this test were acetone (though it smears ink and has fumes), alcohol isopropyl (listed as easy to obtain, gives good results but has fumes), Stain Remover by Greased Lightning (removed almost all marks), and generic nail polish remover (smeared ink and gave off fumes).
Allow Ample Drying Time
If using cleaning products, a dry-erase board needs plenty of drying time.
After cleaning the whiteboard in any manner, allow plenty of drying time before using it again. This might be anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. It takes a while for the layers of the board to dry. Whiteboards are subject to staining if you write on them before they are completely dry.
Tags: whiteboard, cleaning, Cleaning Whiteboard, dry-erase marks, drying time, paper towel, plenty drying, plenty drying time
