Help me - whiteboard maintenance

[BlackAlys]

You'll either get this or you'll not be bothered at all.

When I had my bright and shiny new whiteboard, the only thing I used to clean it down was a microfibre cloth (thank you B&M's).

My whiteboard pens wipe off like a dream, they last longer - not contending with a product on the surface I assume) and between classes, I just zip them cloth over with minimum effort and it's super sparkly again.

Inset day, my room was borrowed by fecking SLT and one of them decided to use baby wipes between each session. My pens are now ruined and the board is buggered. Smears, stains, microfibre cloth doesnt work to remove any of the pen.

To get my board clean between each task, I have to spray a cleaning agent (Mr muscle!) and wipe with kitchen role. It stinks, it's killing my pens and its made the board impossible to wipe down without using even more friggin product.

This morning, I took a pan of water and tried to rinse the product all off, then dried it vigorously.

It's still smeary and doesn't wipe cleanly away!!!

Help me! My whiteboards are driving me to absolute distraction and no one in school seems to give a shit!

This morning

I empathise completely - I get very annoyed when the people who use my room mistreat the board. Even worse if it’s at the top of the board where I can’t reach. Students recognise my OCD and know sorting the board if there are marks at the top leads to a better lesson). Hopefully repeated wiping with water and a microfibre cloth will remove the residue.

Thanks @PhysicsCat

It's quite a problem for me and it drives me to distraction.

I've tried and tried with the water and nothing seems to help!

Oh that's shite!

Mine weren't great last year but I did find the foam hand sanitizer worked well at cleaning!

Yeah, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, mr friggin muscle (and variations of) - they all work really well at cleaning the boards, but nothing puts them back into optimum condition! Nothing!

Have you tried one of those 'magic' sponges? They only need water and should be gentle enough to not damage the board.

Have you used proper whiteboard cleaner in a spray bottle? Should sort it out.

I've tried that, but it cleans it perfectly but hasn't restored that whiteboard quality I've always had previously.

It's so strange. Almost like there's either a build up or that the cleaning has stripped away the quality of it. Gutted.

One of the lads in my old class kept telling me to put petrol on my crappy board. I wasn’t sure if he meant ‘to burn it down’ or if he had genuine reason to believe petrol cleans things, but I didn’t try it!

Staples sell a whiteboard cleaner/conditioner, www.staples.co.uk/office-supplies-and-stationery/board-and-display-equipment/whiteboard-cleaners-and-accessories/2work-whiteboard-renovator-125ml-db50839/?gclid=CjwKCAjwhOyJBhA4EiwAEcJdceZnhfeS546wTBDZhohvNBP7I-XQmu6kAf8c41SLQwelC3000NjKWRoCj34QAvD_BwE
Haven't tried it, so not sure if it is any good, but for a couple of quid might be worth a try? I teach in a room with boards like this a couple of times a week and I hate it, so I feel your pain!

The whiteboard in my new classroom had a smeary grey, gunky patch right in the middle. I cleaned it with a microfibre cloth, water, a bit of washing up liquid and a lot of elbow grease. I then sprayed a tiny bit of WD40 on and polished it with a fresh microfibre cloth, now it is as good as new!

There is a conditioning spray you can use. I do that about once a month and the rest of the time, I use a solution of 2 drops washing up liquid and rest water in an old cleaning spray bottle. That and a yellow duster.

WD 40 will recondition whiteboards apparently....

Sorry- repeated what someone else recommended earlier!

Thanks everyone.
I've topped up on microfibres, kitchen roll and have ordered a cleaner that's meant to condition as well.

If that doesn't do the trick, I'll give WD40 a go!

Going to try the wd40 trick too, thanks