After a few weeks of making a wonderful drawing on your chalkboard, when you are dreaming to make another masterpiece, you may discover your stubborn chalk markers are not coming off. So, now you may be planning to throw away your board in disappointment and buy a new one.
All the chalk markers are easily erasable from only pure non-porous surfaces like glass, plastic, metal, vinyl etc. you can remove them easily by weeping with dry and wet paper towels. But the markers leave Ghosting on semi-porous or porous surfaces like concrete, wood, fabric etc.
But this is difficult for you to recognize a pure non-porous surface. Your chalkboard may sometime deceive you being a little bit porous. So, always first try the marker in a small area of the surface and try erasing this to test the surface.
If you have accidentally used the markers all over the surface without spot testing, you don’t have to replace your board. In this article, we will discuss how to erase chalk markers from chalkboards in three attempts and make your board ready to be used again and again.
Method of Erasing Chalk Marker
You have to simply use dry and wet clothes or paper towels to erase the ink from non-porous surfaces. But, don’t be scared if you have applied the marker on a little porous surface. Take the following 3 attempts and get the chalkboard newly cleaned.
First Attempt
- First get a magic eraser which is available in the market. This removes all the stains magically. Secrete of this eraser is melamine foam that can damage stains.
- Next, you will have to make the eraser wet with water and ring it properly. You can use hot or cold water as your wish.
- Then wipe the board now using the damp eraser with patience. Don’t put too much pressure on the board.
- Now take a clean, smooth and dry cloth and make the surface dry by absorbing the liquid from it. You can also use paper towels or rags.
- This is not enough to clean the surface. So, you will need to repeat these steps again and your board will be cleaned completely.
If there is still some Ghosting, then you will have to skip to the second attempt.
Second Attempt
- If the surface is pretty much porous then the stains may not completely erase by only a wet magic eraser. The writings may still be visible.
- Now get a window cleaner liquid from the market. Do not buy any other toxic cleaning solution that may harm your board. then simply spray your magic eraser with the window cleaner several times.
- Now you have to gently wipe the board. Do not wipe harshly as it can damage the surface and the chalkboard paint may come off.
- For best results, wipe the remaining liquid and make the board dry with a clean and dry cloth.
- Thus, your board will be good as new and ready to use again.
If this method fails and there are still some stubborn stains, then take the final attempt.
Last and Final Attempt
If your board is porous, the previous two methods may fail to remove stains. You can retouch the chalkboard with chalkboard paint. This will restore your board to its original condition and it will look new.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When it comes to the cleaning issues of chalk markers, there are so many questions come to your mind. We will try to answer some common questions among them.
Q. What is Ghosting of chalk markers?
Ans: when applied to porous surfaces, the ink leaves behind traces of the previous drawing that haunt the new ones. These are Ghosting.
Q. What is spot testing?
Ans: before applying, making a spot in a small area of the surface and erasing it is called spot test. This is important for cleaning the surface.
Q. How to clean liquid chalk marker?
Ans: Wipe the surface with a damp cloth.
Q. How to remove chalk from chalkboard?
Ans: Using a soft cloth, dishwasher and water wipe the chalkboard.
Q. How to wash off chalk marker from my clothes?
Ans: Wash your clothes normally with laundry detergent and rubbing alcohol.
Ending
From child to adult, every creative person who loves drawing with marker pens face this problem of erasing chalk ink. This problem wastes your time and energy and ruins your will of creative decorations.
But every problem has a solution. Learn how to erase chalk markers from this article and make many creative decorations with chalk markers using the same board. All you need is a magic eraser, dry cloth, water, window cleaner liquid, and patience.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IJBU3MgGgQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BVlez3Ec_g