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Chalkboard and Markerboard Daily Care and Maintenance


It is fairly easy to clean chalkboards – when using chalk to write on them. But if you have children and a chalkboard, you’ve probably searched the Internet a few times for “how to clean crayon off a chalkboard.” Since this is a question we often get asked, we wanted to put together helpful tips that you can revisit again and again. We recommend following the same procedure to clean pesky crayon marks, tape, or markers off porcelain enamel chalkboards and markerboards.

General Care:

  • For the initial cleaning, wipe your board with a clean cloth moistened by a liquid cleanser.
  • Rinse with clear water. This step is simple but very important.
  • Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
  • If your board is used daily, the cleaning should be performed at least two to three times a week. More thorough cleaning may be required if writing is left on the board for more than two days.

Removing Crayon or Tape from Chalkboards & Markerboards:

  • Dampen a clean, dry cloth with water.
  • Use a small amount of liquid cleaner without bleach, onto the cloth. Use less cleanser for chalkboard surfaces.
  • Begin cleaning a small, manageable area using a back and forth horizontal motion. Use normal pressure as if you were cleaning a window.
  • Wipe off all residue with a dry cloth.
  • Rinse well with clear water. Please note that the rinsing and drying steps are very important.
  • Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
  • Follow the same procedure for the remainder of the board.

Removing Permanent Marker from Chalkboards & Markerboards:

  • Moisten a clean, dry cloth with isopropyl alcohol. Use less alcohol for chalkboards.
  • Wipe the board in a circular motion to loosen marker residue.
  • Rinse with clear water.
  • Dry the board with a clean cloth.
  • Repeat these steps as often as necessary to remove all residue.

We hope this helps you easily clean chalkboards and markerboards. Read our Removing Dry Erase Board Ghosting guide for more details on how to clean old marks off of dry erase boards.

We do not recommend these methods for other board types like melamine, high-pressure laminate, and other non-porcelain enamel boards. If you know the manufacturer of your board, please defer to their instructions or risk voiding a warranty.

Questions?

Feel free to contact us or visit our FAQ page for more information. We’re always glad to help with maintenance questions or installation pointers, and we want to make sure your product gets put to use as smoothly as possible.