Oops! Accidentally written on your Bambook whiteboard notebook with a permanent marker? If you are looking for ways to easily and quickly remove permanent marker from a smooth surface, you will find more than enough 'lifehacks'. But do these really work? We put on our lab coats and tested them for you. In this blog we share our findings.
Do you want to know immediately which remedies work best for removing permanent marker? Scroll down to find a summary in order of effectiveness.
Deodorant
Deodorant is a good option for removing permanent marker and super handy because you probably already have this at home. If you choose this option, we recommend that you first spray the deo on a cloth and then gently rub it over the text. Spraying the deodorant directly onto the pages and applying too much pressure when wiping can damage the coating and you obviously don't want that.
Nail polish remover
We can be brief about this: this is perhaps one of the most effective methods. We have used a nail polish remover without acetone. Apply it to a clean cloth first and rub lightly over the marked area.
Hairspray
A little hairspray also works wonders! Spray a small amount of hairspray directly onto the page and wipe with a dry cloth. The text remains very slightly visible.
Toothpaste
Several sources claim that a little toothpaste mixed with baking soda works as a good scrub to remove permanent marker. In our experience, this agent is not only ineffective at removing the ink, it can also damage the surface due to the abrasive effect.
Sunburn
Some swear by sunburn for removing permanent marker stains. We have tested both an alcohol-based sun spray (factor 30) and a water-based sunscreen. In line with our expectation, the alcohol-based sunscreen spray works the best. The sunscreen milk, on the other hand, creates a lot of haze and the text remains clearly visible.
- Cleaning products
Pale & cleaning vinegar
Bleach and white vinegar have repeatedly emerged as a panacea in our search for ways to remove permanent marker from a whiteboard surface. However, we experienced less success with these household products. As it turned out (pun intended), the ink does fade to varying degrees, but the text remains clearly visible as you can see. In our opinion, therefore, not recommended.
rubbing alcohol
Unfortunately, rubbing alcohol is also not very effective and creates a clearly visible haze, also known as 'ghost marking'.
- Other
Non-permanent marker
Tracing with a regular whiteboard marker is often cited as the method of removing permanent marker from a smooth surface. What should you do? Trace the text or drawing with a non-permanent highlighter. Then wipe it off with a slightly damp cloth. You may need to repeat this process a few times for a better result.
WD-40, White Spirit & Sticker remover
WD-40, White spirit and sticker remover also passed our test panel, but did not make the top 5.
The best way to remove permanent markers
The following applies to all these options: clean the pages afterwards with a slightly damp cloth. Then dry the pages thoroughly. Due to the oily substances, the ink of your Bambook marker cannot dry as well.
Below all the means again in a row, in order of effectiveness (1 = most effective, 13 is least effective):
- Nail polish remover without acetone
- Deodorant
- Hairspray
- Sunscreen spray (with alcohol)
- Non-permanent marker
- Pale
- Sticker remover
- White spirit
- Sunscreen milk
- Alcohol gel
- Toothpaste
- WD-40
- Cleaning vinegar
Better safe
than sorry!Make sure you always use the right accessories with your Bambook. This way you avoid accidentally using the wrong marker. Prevention is of course better than cure, but if it does happen, we hope this blog will help you.
Do you have any other suggestions we should test? Let us know!
