Easiest Way to Clean Black Chalkboards

Although a chalky, dingy-looking chalkboard may be offensive to our sense of cleanliness, it's actually much healthier for the board to remain all chalked up. If the board isn't used much, don't even bother cleaning it until the end of the day. If you feel you absolutely must use water to clean your chalkboard, make sure it has dried thoroughly before applying chalk to it again. Water does no harm to the surface of the chalkboard. However, keep in mind that if chalk combines with the water on a wet or damp board, you'll end up with a glossy surface that is unsuitable for use.

Things You'll Need

• Felt erasers Chamois or cloths Bucket White vinegar Window squeegee Spray bottle (optional) Chalk

Instructions

1. Erase the chalkboard completely with felt erasers.

2. Wipe the chalkboard with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth, or use a chamois. For deeper, more thorough cleaning, proceed to the following steps.

3. Add ½ cup of white vinegar to a bucket of warm water. Use a clean, lint-free cloth to wash the chalkboard with the vinegar-water mixture. Alternately, you can pour some of the vinegar-water into a spray bottle and simply spray it onto the board.

4. Dip a clean, soft cloth in a bucket of warm water to completely rinse the surface of the chalkboard. Squeegee the water from the surface of the board.

5. Immediately use a chamois or a soft, dry, lint-free cloth to thoroughly dry the chalkboard. Let the board air-dry for an hour or so. Make sure the board has dried completely before you go any further.

6. Cover the entire surface of the board with chalk by laying it sideways on the board and "coloring" with it. Erase the board using a clean felt chalkboard eraser, and wipe it once more with a dry cloth.