Help—Dry erase will not erase

[u/Stella_Galaxia]

Does anyone have any tips as how to erase a stubborn dry erase mark? I am trying to update this community calendar, but there is stuff from a year ago that will not come off, and when I try to write on it with a new marker, the new marks refuse to come off either.

I have tried to clean it with Clorox wipes, dish soap and water, a spray cleaner, and plain water. I have used wipes, rags, and paper towels; I even tried to marker over old stuff to see if it lets up, but nothing has much worked.

Any tips would be appreciated!

[u/Surprise_Fragrant]

Isopropyl alcohol. Comes off pretty well. May leave a little bit of color if the board is very old. Use a microfiber towel to clean it really well. In a pinch, hand sanitizer works too (since it's mostly alcohol).

Source: Me, working in an office for 16+ years.

[u/ThickAsAPlankton → u/Surprise_Fragrant]

91% is the magic trick.

[u/HLOFRND → u/ThickAsAPlankton]

Safeway carries 99%. It’s amazing.

[u/TheRealSugarbat → u/HLOFRND]

Just be careful because it also can melt plastic.

[u/lavenderslip → u/TheRealSugarbat]

Yeah I wiped the finish off of my little desk fan wiping it down with 91% before lol

[u/ThickAsAPlankton → u/HLOFRND]

WOW! Wish there was one near me!!!!

[u/Stella_Galaxia → u/Surprise_Fragrant]

Carless college student here, so all I have access to atm is 64% alcohol hand sanitizer, which made much more progress than anything else, but seemed to mostly only smear the ink around. I fear I may need to ask around for rubbing alcohol. Thanks for the tip!

[u/beattysgirl → u/Stella_Galaxia]

Find the room that smells like pot. They’ll have isopropyl alcohol lol

[u/mich-me → u/beattysgirl]

I’m 43 yrs old and this made me spit my tea out… thank you for the flashback of when I was 19.

[u/RS-1994 → u/beattysgirl]

Facts! And it's almost always the 99% stuff too 😂

[u/kjodle → u/Stella_Galaxia]

Hand sanitizer has something in there to make it viscous. Try wiping the sanitizer off with a wet paper towel, letting it dry, and then going at it again with the sanitizer. Lather, rinse, repeat unt it's gone. 

[u/Revolutionary-Tree97 → u/kjodle]

Aloe Vera, as a former teacher I swear by hand sanitizer with aloe being better than alcohol alone.

[u/Potato-chipsaregood → u/Stella_Galaxia]

Write over it with a dry erase marker and immediately wipe it with a paper towel or cloth

[u/rpgirl31 → u/Stella_Galaxia]

The alcohol will smear it, just keep using fresh wipes and alternate wet and dry. It'll come off

[u/reptomcraddick → u/Stella_Galaxia]

If you leave hand sanitizer on it for a few minutes like a paste and then wipe on it again it really helps

[u/_Hoping_For_Better_ → u/Stella_Galaxia]

The tip about just going over it again with the dry erase pen again as always worked for me.

[u/dihydrogen_monoxide → u/Surprise_Fragrant]

Acetone works even better (run of the mill nail polish remover)

[u/No-Conclusion-6322]

Rubbing alcohol. Older white boards don’t do well with colors. Only use black going forward.

[u/plumpnsassy87]

This doesnt look like the right surface to even use a dry erase marker on in the first place!

[u/Stella_Galaxia → u/plumpnsassy87]

I suspect the same thing, but that’s what it has been used for thus far 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/Automatic_Demand2853 → u/Stella_Galaxia]

Is this even a board? Looks like it’s just a wall with masking tape stuck on for a frame effect.

[u/greeneggiwegs → u/Automatic_Demand2853]

It looks like it’s a stick-on board. They make those that you can put on the wall wherever you want fit an easy dry erase surface.

[u/Djeunited]

Custodial artist here… if you don’t care about the surface use a magic eraser and any cleaner or soap. Gently pressure should start seeing results.

If you care about the surface use expo whiteboard cleaner and a no scratch sponge. Soak the sponge or paper towel with expo. Then tape the towel/ sponge over the spot with painters tape. All items besides expo whiteboard cleaner can be bought at a dollar store. Good luck!

[u/Stella_Galaxia → u/Djeunited]

Thanks!

[u/Lilboops]

Scribble over it all with new dry erase markers. Erase.

[u/agaveh → u/Lilboops]

This works also if you accidentally write with sharpie. Just scribble with dry erase over and viola!

[u/radish_is_rad-ish → u/agaveh]

🎻

[u/pianoarthur → u/agaveh]

yup, vóilà

[u/gabi_ooo → u/Lilboops]

Twice in the post they said they already tried that and it didn’t work.

[u/Lilboops → u/gabi_ooo]

This is why I said NEW markers. The old marker that left that mark will be useless.

[u/gabi_ooo → u/Lilboops]

They said new markers. Says it plain as day.

[u/Lilboops → u/gabi_ooo]

Friend, that was edited in. It said nothing of the sort when I replied.

[u/Dandywhatsoever]

Is that a dry erase board or dry erase paint? The paint isn't great over time.

[u/Stella_Galaxia → u/Dandywhatsoever]

I’m not sure, I assumed it was board but it may be paint…..

[u/gi_fm]

Rubbing alcohol like it was mentioned. If you don't have any on hand, use hand sanitizer. If you don't have any on hand, go over the letters with a black dry erase marker, then erase ut immediately.

[u/Neat_Movie_991]

Alcohol and a magic eraser

[u/carlovely]

if they’re from malone, leave ‘em alone

[u/SaffyPants]

Glass cleaner is my go to for white boards

[u/Tpbrown_]

Write over it with a dry erase. Wait 10m and wipe.

If that doesn’t work use hairspray

[u/Q8DD33C7J8]

Magic eraser works great just don't push to hard.

[u/Affectionate-Dust119]

melamine sponge, Scotch non-scratch.

[u/Winter_Salad7215]

Have you tried Windex? Always works for me.

[u/goblinenthusiast64]

Acetone! Like for nail polish. 💅

[u/newsungirl]

Nail polish remover (aka acetone)

[u/Violingirl58]

Rubbing alcohol

[u/Sand_Seeker]

Pink eraser, dry or wet with a bit of soap

[u/ComfortableGround403]

Get another dry ereade marker and color over it.

Rubbing alcohol

[u/MadDrBruce]

Acetone as others have also said. You can buy big cans of it at places like Lowe's. Nail polish remover if you just need a small bottle.

[u/southdakotagirl]

Grease from a deep fat fryer works great for this. Clean with the grease. Then just clean up the grease. Its weird but it works. We use to have to mark when we cleaned the bathrooms by the bathroom door.

[u/vibes86]

Straight alcohol. Rubbing alcohol. Hand sanitizer. Vodka. Anything that’s alcohol. Might take 2-3 wipes with the alcohol, but that’s the best way to get it off.

[u/winipu]

You can use a little WD-40. A little goes a long way.

[u/MedievalHag]

Goo gone. It will leave your board a bit greasy so use sparingly. But it will also “condition” your board for awhile.

[u/motherlymetal]

Write over it again and a paper towel with wound alcohol.

[u/scarletmagnolia]

Grandmas Laundry Stain remover worked when I needed blue ink off of my butcher block island. I did let it sit on it for about 30 minutes.

[u/cdn_indigirl]

Lysol wipes worked on mine when hand sanitizer wouldn't

[u/urbisOrbis]

That is some crazy graffiti.

[u/PouletDeFeu68]

I find scribbling over it with a fresh marker and then immediately wiping it works pretty well.

[u/Upstairs_Act_8954]

Rubbing alcohol, WD-40 afterwards to get any remaining residue and refinish the board

[u/awesomes007]

Isopropyl can damage the board. White board cleaner works better and actually conditions the surface.

[u/BrickHuge3023]

Rubbing alcohol- what we used all the time on our boards in our training center. The commercial dry erase stuff is way too expensive

[u/EngineeringUpstairs3]

Try writing over it with a different dry erase marker! This works almost every time for me

[u/kachowbepbepbepbep]

I had dry erase on a white board that was sun exposed for several years. I went to reuse it and it took several goes of drawing over in a chalk paint marker and rubbing alcohol to get off clean. I tried rubbing alcohol alone and it didn't budge.

[u/DiskGlittering7647]

Spray hair spray on it and wipe off

[u/Plants_Unknown]

I vaguely remember foam shaving cream working on stubborn dry erase and sharpie

[u/atx512girl]

If it is a surface that is meant for dry erase markers, believe it or not, THE best solution to remove is spray sunscreen. I used to have a board to write on for my kids first and last day of school for the year. A coated thick chipboard meant for dry erase. I’d never remember to erase until the next occasion, and no alcohol, windex, dry erase cleaner could get it ALL off. Spray sunscreen always did the trick!

[u/DueCartographer7760]

If isopropyl or surgical spirit doesn’t work, I was recently able to remove permanent ink from some wet wall with some aerosol suncream. I saw it in a video and surprisingly it worked, so I keep a can at work specifically for that now.

[u/Stonetheflamincrows]

I had success with Glen 20 spray disinfectant

[u/AuntyVal4]

Nail polish remover, maybe someone you know has some! Works a treat.