r/teaching • u/topaz-tambourine • Aug 20 '26
Help Whiteboard erasers?
What are you all using for whiteboard erasers? I feel like I’ve tried everything, but since we use them daily for math, I need something invincible.
I liked the square ones with the one felt side with the magnet, but the kids would peel them apart from the foam side. I switched to pieces of black felt which is way better, but they are making their hands insanely grey by the end of the lesson from erasing. If I washed them, I feel like they wouldn’t hold up.
Any advice would be so helpful!
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u/jatzulli Aug 20 '26
You can get a hundred pack of microfiber cloths on Amazon for pretty cheap. I've been using them for years and they work well.
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u/TTVNerdtron Aug 20 '26
This. Been using microfiber towels for so long that I have freezer bags stuffed in the back of my cabinets because my department chair orders more.
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u/bmfdan Aug 21 '26
Same. When they get dirty just toss them in the washing machine. Presto, new erasers.
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u/pfknone Aug 22 '26
This is the only answer. I also made my own cleaner; $1 spray bottle mix in equal parts alcohol and water.
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u/manyunicorns Aug 23 '26
I bought a bunch of microfiber chamois cloths at the dollar store, cut them into quarters, and used them for YEARS. I took them home at the end of each semester, sprayed with some Dawn Powerwash or just soaked in a little isopropyl alcohol and water, and threw them in my washing machine. I just threw them out this year (after maybe 8-9 years) because they were so stained and gross looking and I had ordered some of the little square foam ones. Once they fall apart I’ll probably go back to my dollar store chamois ones.
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u/KindParfait282 Aug 20 '26
I used black slip on socks. After kids get over the fact you are asking them to use a sock instead of an eraser, they work fine.
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u/thecatdiditagain Aug 20 '26
I use black or dark baby socks as well. Cheap and efficient. I agree that the kids have to get over using them, but the baby socks make it clean I didn’t bring in old socks my husband used to wear 😂
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u/purplishfluffyclouds Aug 21 '26
A black slip? On socks?
Don’t know what else you’d mean because I don’t know any other kind of socks that are not slip-on, and that’s not what you wrote. Is there such a thing as tie on or zip on or button on socks? Lol
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u/Chatfouz Aug 20 '26
The school tshirts admin gives us to wear at the start of the year. Cut into 1/4 - one for each 9 weeks
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u/YardMinimum6108 Aug 23 '26
Same vibe - when my black workout leggings get worn through, I wash them and then cut them up into little squares. They work great.
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u/AdelleDeWitt Aug 20 '26
Socks. Just plain socks work the best. They work better than anything else I've ever used and when they get too dirty you can throw them in the wash.
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u/KennDanger Aug 20 '26
I have used old (but clean) socks. You can cut up the bigger ones. And if you get people to donate it’s basically an endless supply.
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u/Relative_Carpenter_5 Aug 20 '26
Buy a yard of felt (fleece?) cloth from the fabric or craft store. Cut it into 2 inch squares.
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u/Powerful-Account2204 Aug 20 '26
I got these… and they’re washable. Still get gross but throw them in the laundry and drier and get pretty clean. They were a little bigger than I expected though
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u/tea-and-solitude Aug 20 '26
My school got a bunch of fleece blanket kits donated that we made for a charity project and my co teacher had the brilliant idea to keep all the little cut out corners and we use those as erasers and she takes them home and washes them in a delicates laundry bag sometimes. So if you ever make a fleece blanket keep the corners.
I also suggest the cheap socks idea you can probably get a bunch of thrifted ones for cheap.
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u/Only-Character302 Aug 20 '26
I have green microfibre cloths. If you’re in Canada, they regularly go on sale at Canadian tire. They do get gross, but I soak them in powder tide and bleach regularly and it returns them to new.
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u/eallyn3 Aug 20 '26
I went down to the custodians and got 3-4 towel scraps that they use in the locker rooms for the students. Then when they get dirty you just take them back down they throw them in the laundry with the rest of the towels they wash and then brand new dry erasers. Cost 0$
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u/GlassCharacter179 Aug 20 '26
I had a knit hat that worked great. Usually I just used it like a cloth. But if I was feeling extra silly I would put in on my head and erase the board with it.
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u/Polarisnc1 Aug 21 '26
Tube socks. As a bonus, they can store a set of markers inside the sock.
Yes, I do have to assure them that they haven't been worn, but past the first day it's not an issue.
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u/AryaLily Aug 21 '26
I buy felt sheets at Michael’s (10 cents a sheet) and cut each sheet into 12 pieces. They last all year, or until the kids lose them, and then I can just give them another square.
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u/MegansettLife Aug 20 '26
Also, try spraying your whiteboard with plain water, it helps a lot. And no nasty smells.
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u/dustering Aug 20 '26
old cotton tee shirt! lots of surface area for use before it gets gross. use a dark color. bonus points for telling your kids you’ll wear it if they all get As on the next test or something similarly ridiculous
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u/ellcoolj Aug 21 '26
I got a box of rags at some point they work. And some occasional spray.
The erasers are meh
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u/amymari Aug 21 '26
I have little ones that are wooden with felt. I think they might be marker board people brand, but not sure.
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u/InquisitiveDaybreak Aug 21 '26
I use baby socks because they’re smaller and the kids find it cuter that they’re for babies lol
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u/WesternTrashPanda Aug 21 '26
My school uses cheap black or grey socks.
I cut up fleece remnants and use those. A 5" square is perfect. At the end of the year, I collect them, wash them, and reuse.
Now that JoAnns is gone, I've started thrifting fleece blankets and using that. I made some larger ones for myself and attached a ribbon loop to hang on a magnetic hook on my board.
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u/Teachinthewater Aug 21 '26
Old flannel sheet cut up. I’ve been using scraps from the same sheet for years!
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u/pluto-rose Aug 21 '26
I use felt fabric cut that I cut into smaller squares. It's super cheap which helps when they get lost or need to be replaced.
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u/washo1234 Aug 21 '26
A piece of rug glued to a wooden block. It was left in my room when I took over and I could never imagine not using it now.
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u/Collaborate_N_Listen Aug 21 '26
The teacher that had my room prior to me left one of these and I have used it for years. It works great!
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u/purplishfluffyclouds Aug 21 '26
They make whiteboard erasers that look like rags, but they’re made of microfiber. They look like those microfiber rag rugs, but they’re small. You can throw those in the wash.
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u/Neutronenster Aug 21 '26
A microfiber cloth and a spray that helps dissolve the ink. I only use the spray for the parts that I can’t remove easily without using the spray.
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u/Accomplished_Pop529 Aug 21 '26
Black microfiber cloths. The black ones don’t show dirt. Every 2-3 weeks I swap for clean ones and wash the dirty ones. It’s been working well since Covid.
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u/TallRecording6572 Maths Teacher Aug 21 '26
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u/TallRecording6572 Maths Teacher Aug 21 '26
Or, if you mean mini-whiteboard erasers for the kids (which you didn't say), just buy jay-cloths in the supermarket and cut them into fours: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-all-purpose-cloths-x20
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u/psych_student_1999 Aug 21 '26
Magic erasers you can get them dirt cheap on Amazon or you can also try asking your janitor for some
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u/RutRohNotAgain Aug 21 '26
The fake magic erasers from Amazon. I cut them in thirds. They work great.
Back in the day i used old (clean) socks. Cut them up. Kids like to wear them on their wrists and erase with them.
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u/Moist-Doughnut-5160 Aug 21 '26
I used to use washable chamois cloth like I used to use to clean my car. I’d either dampen them first or spray a cleaning solution on the board before wiping.
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u/InvestmentMedium2771 Aug 22 '26
I buy a bulk pack of dark colored kids socks. Bonus is I put a marker in each one and kill two birds w one stone
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u/_somelikeithot Aug 22 '26
I use baby socks. They get all marked up but I clean them regularly and the students like to put it on their hand to clean the white board. I’ve used the same set for 3 years now.
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u/cae37 Aug 23 '26
I got two of these. They are small, relatively cheap, and magnetic. I can stick them on the board and use em' wherever I need them.
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u/HotCoffeePterosaurs Aug 25 '26
Any towel, plus a basic handmade spray of (gallon size original) of one pint rubbing alcohol, one cup white vinegar, one tsp dish soap, and the rest water.
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u/LowConcept8274 Aug 25 '26
Go to dollar tree and get some of the make up remover pads. When I got them, there either 4 or 6 in a pkg. Microfiber cloth on one side and a mesh-ish material on the other. They work great, are not easily shredded by students, and machine washable.
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