How to Clean a Blackboard
Cleaning the blackboard is a great task to do with your kids.
If they are using the blackboard they should help you clean the board as best they can for their age.
Give the kids each an eraser and have them remove as much of the chalk and dust from the blackboard as possible and then follow one of the recipes below to clean the board.
Are you ready then?
Let’s get busy and clean the blackboard!
Never Write on a Wet Blackboard
Make sure that each time you clean the blackboard that you let it dry completely before writing on it with any chalk.
Writing on a wet blackboard will ruin the board because wet chalk is very soft.
The chalk will dissolve into the blackboard and become permanently ground-in. So after you and your kids clean the blackboard, make sure you show them how to dry it completely before using it.
Cleaning with Soap and Water
- Mix 2 quarts lukewarm water with 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.
- Dip a clean cleaning rag into the bucket, wring it out and wipe down the blackboard.
- Rinse the blackboard with fresh water on a new rag to remove any detergent residue
- Dry the board completely with a clean towel
Cleaning with Vinegar and Water
- Mix one part white distilled vinegar to eight parts warm water. Depending on the size of the blackboard, start with ¼ cup vinegar and two cups water.
- Dip a lint-free cloth or chamois into the bucket, wring it out and wipe down the blackboard.
- Rinse the cloth occasionally if there is a lot of chalk dust on the board.
- Dry the board with a new cloth.
Cleaning with Lemon Oil Cleaner
If you don’t have vinegar, or prefer that the room the blackboard is in doesn’t smell like you’ve been dying Easter eggs, you can use lemon oil. Lemon oil is the zest of the lemon infused with oil. You can buy it or you can make it at home. To make your own lemon oil for cleaning, you’ll need the following:
Lemon Oil Cleaner
- Three lemons (for the peels)
- 2 cups mineral oil
- First, to make the lemon oil, peel the lemons (you’ll be using the peels, not the fruit).
- Then place the peels in a shallow bowl and cover with the oil and let stand overnight.
- Strain to remove the peel
After your new cleaning solution has sat overnight, add one to two teaspoons of the oil to a clean, lint-free cloth.
There is no need to saturate the cloth and over-saturate the blackboard. wipe the blackboard down using a thin even coating of the lemon cleaner. Wipe with a dry cloth to remove excess oil.
Removing Crayon Marks on a Blackboard
Oh boy. Did you forget to tell the kids not to color on the chalkboard?
If so, knowing how to clean crayon off the board might be a handy lesson for everyone to learn. You will need the following.
- A hairdryer
- The lemon oil soaked cloth from above
Turn the hairdryer on its lowest setting and heat the crayon marks by slowly moving the hairdryer over the them. As the crayon melts, use the lemon oil soaked cloth to wipe it off.
Depending on the color of the crayon and the pressure that was used by the little hand that put it there, you may have to do this for several minutes.
Once the crayon is removed, wash the board down with the vinegar mixture described above and dry thoroughly.
It’s an easy job to clean a black board.
Now your kids can go back to being little artists or playing teacher on a blackboard that looks brand new.