How To Clean A Whiteboard: Recommended Cleaning Solutions

You can teach lessons, make plans, or write little notes to yourself on a whiteboard, before erasing it all and writing more!

However, if your whiteboard is not cleaned properly, it may start to become grimy and less effective, no longer offering a ‘clean slate’ after every use.

This is why knowing how to correctly clean a whiteboard is an important process for all whiteboard users to learn.

Detailed below are the tried-and-true methods for cleaning your whiteboard correctly, as well as what (and what not) to use as a cleaning agent.

How To Clean A Whiteboard

The most popular method of whiteboard cleaning involves a warm wet cloth and some whiteboard cleaner.
A common type of whiteboard cleaner is a mix of isopropyl alcohol and warm water– however, other solutions can also be used with equal effectiveness.

These are the basic steps you can take to clean your whiteboard. Repeat them as necessary with any of the cleaning products listed below:

Standard Cleaning Process

1. Take some warm water and moisten a soft cloth
2. Take a small amount of whiteboard cleaner (any of the compounds referred to below)
3. Apply whiteboard cleaner to the damp cloth
4. Wipe off the entire whiteboard
5. Using another cloth that has only been dipped in water, wipe the whiteboard a second time
6. With a dry cloth, wipe all moisture from the board. Repeat all steps if stubborn stains remain

Whiteboards, also known as dry-erase boards, may be regularly cleaned with a number of different chemicals.

However, not all cleaning products can be used, as some can damage the board. Below are the appropriate, recommended cleaning agents that can be used to clean your dry-erase board.

Does Isopropyl Alcohol / Peroxide Clean Whiteboards?

Isopropyl alcohol and peroxide are the standard compounds used for whiteboard cleaning. They’re common household solvents, and as such are regularly used for cleaning dry-erase boards.

Does Hand Sanitizer Clean Whiteboards?

Often full of isopropyl alcohol, hand sanitizer is another approved compound that can be used to clean off whiteboard marker ink.

Whether the active ingredient is isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, the nature of hand sanitizer makes it extremely effective when used to clean whiteboards.

Does Vinegar Clean Whiteboards?

Another common multi-purpose item is vinegar– white vinegar, specifically.

Also used as an odor-remover and descaling agent, you can mix vinegar with warm water to create a cleaning agent that will clean your whiteboard, deodorise a room, or even clean your steam mop!

You really can’t overstate how useful vinegar is as a cleaning agent.

Does Hairspray Clean Whiteboards?

Using hairspray to clean a whiteboard might sound crazy, but anyone who’s been around the block a few times will know that hairspray actually has a range of uses.

It’s especially effective at whiteboard cleaning, due to its spray-on nature and isopropyl alcohol content. There’s no need to dissolve it in water and make a solution - just spray it onto the whiteboard, let it rest for a moment, then wipe.

Does WD-40 Clean Whiteboards?

WD-40: Ideal for when something isn’t moving, and it needs to.

This applies not only to nuts and bolts, but to stains on a whiteboard as well. When that whiteboard marker just won’t fully erase, spray WD-40 either onto a microfiber cloth or directly onto the board, and start cleaning.

Not only will all marks be completely erased, but WD-40 actually has the power to refinish your whiteboard- restoring it to its former luster and shine once again.

How to Remove Permanent Marker from Dry Erase Boards

As some of us may remember from our school days, whiteboard markers and permanent markers can look pretty similar.

Unfortunately, something whiteboard markers don’t share with permanent markers is their ability to be rubbed off.

The horror when you realise you've written in permanent marker on your (or someone else’s!) dry-erase board is indescribable.

However, there is an easy trick to remove permanent markers from dry-erase boards. Follow these steps:

1. Locate a whiteboard marker
2. Trace over the permanent marker staining your whiteboard
3. Cover it completely with the whiteboard marker and wait for it to dry
4. Wipe it off – the whiteboard marker will remove the permanent marker when wiped away, leaving your whiteboard spotless

Caution: Do Not Use These Solutions To Clean Your Whiteboard

Though the following materials may be rumored to have cleaning properties, they should not be used to clean your whiteboard.

The following solutions will cause further staining and damage when applied, rather than the desired outcome of a fresh, clean board you can write on.

Toothpaste

Instead of mixing it with water and rubbing it on your whiteboard, you should let toothpaste stay where it belongs– in the bathroom.

While it has been mentioned that toothpaste may erase whiteboard markers, you should know that toothpaste is abrasive.

Continued application of an abrasive cleaner will gradually damage your whiteboard, rendering it less effective.

Bengay / Deep Heat

Like toothpaste above and comet below, Ben-Gay/Deep Heat is an abrasive agent that will in time corrode your whiteboard, resulting in the board no longer working.

It’s therefore recommended that you never use either products to clean your whiteboard.

Comet

Another abrasive cleaning agent formulated for much tougher stains, Comet should not be used on whiteboards if your goal is to keep them both fresh and clean.

Black Coffee or Coffee Grinds

Coffee grinds may have cleaning potential, but they are a messy, abrasive, and truly last-resort option. Do not use these on your whiteboard!

Tips To Make Your Whiteboard Last Longer

• Wipe it down completely after every use, if possible
• Use the correct cleaning materials
• Don’t let serious stains (like a permanent marker) set in. Instead, take care of them right away
• Use only whiteboard markers

Key Takeaway

A whiteboard is a useful and entertaining tool that has a myriad of applications in a versatile array of business settings.

However, this all amounts to nothing unless you know how to properly clean the tool. If you use the correct cleaning materials and clean your whiteboard at the end of each day, you’ll be writing on that clean surface for years to come!