What is the proper way to clean a chalkboard?

Answer 1

Chalkboard cleaning method depends upon the kind of chalkboard to be cleaned. Chalkboards made of composition board can be damaged by frequent use of a liquid cleaner. A good dry method is to use a regular felt eraser to erase any writing on the board. A chamois skin eraser can then be used. First use the foam rubber side of the chamois skin eraser in long strokes to remove heavy dust. Every once in a while, wipe dust as it accumulates on the foam rubber with a rag. After the board has been cleaned with the foam rubber side of the chamois skin eraser, turn it over and wipe the board again in long smooth strokes with the chamois side of the chamois skin eraser. This will pick up fine dust. Dry methods leave a little dust behind, but this is normal. The long smooth strokes make the board look nicer than short choppy strokes. Other dry methods can also be used such as using microfiber rags or just plain clean, cotton rags. Use of oil cleaners directly on the board is not a good idea since the oil will clog the pores of the chalkboard. Though chalkboards look smooth, they have pores which allow chalkdust to scrap off a piece of chalk. On a smooth surface like a piece of glass (or a chalkboard with clogged pores), no chalk dust is scraped off a piece of chalk. Try using chalk on glass and see what happens. For chalkboards made of slate or porcelain covered steel, wet methods can be used. Wet methods are faster and leave a cleaner looking board than dry methods. It's still best to erase writing with a felt eraser first as this makes further cleaning more efficient. Using plain hot water and a terry cloth wrung out very well will work. For larger boards using a bucket and sponge to apply the water and then using a squeegee to remove the cleaner speeds up the process. Instead of water, some custodians use water with a little vinegar in it. It's actually possible to get the board too clean. A chalk board that is too clean (or a brand new board) board will need to be "chalked in" as described below. If you find shadows of previous writing showing up when a board is erased, it may be too clean. A fine layer of dust helps prevents shadows from appearing when the board is erased. When using a wet method, make sure to use clean water to clean the board. Using dirty cleaning solution (or failing to erase the board first) can lead to the creation of a chalky paste when cleaning which can clog the pores of the board and prevent chalk from working on the board. Treated cloths are available for cleaning chalkboards. Pre-treating a cloth rag with a few drops of lemon oil is sometimes recommended. Care must be taken that oil does not get transferred to the board as it will clog the pores of the board. If the pores get clogged, chalk will no longer work well on the board. If the pores of the board are clogged, you can clean the board with an abriasive cleaner and then rinse it well. After doing this, you will need to "chalk in" the board by rubbing chalk all over the board and cleaning it. If "chalking in" is not done, shadows of previous writing will appear when the board is erased. Colored chalk speeds up the rate at which the pores of a board clog up.