Remember back to your school days. Cleaning the chalkboard was likely a privilege given to the most well-behaved kids in class. Unfortunately, cleaning today doesn’t carry the same marks of achievement, but wiping down a chalkboard (or dry erase board) may still be a regular part of your life.
Luckily, gone are the days of relying on a chalkboard eraser to clean your board. Today, a made-for-purpose chalkboard cleaner makes the task a lot easier. Whether you want to know how to restore an old chalkboard, how to clean a chalkboard marker, how to clean grease off a chalkboard or how to clean crayon off a chalkboard, the answer is likely one of the chalkboard cleaners found in our list below.
Before you pick one of the best chalkboard cleaners at random, there are a couple of considerations that need to be taken into account. Below, we’ll cover:
- Kid-friendly versus chemical cleaners
- Cleaning sets versus solo sprays
- The best chalkboard cleaners
Kid-Friendly Versus Chemical Cleaners
If your chalkboard or dry erase board is located in a classroom or a home with resident children, you’ll need to invest in a kid-friendly chalkboard cleaner. These rely on more natural ingredients that aren’t harmful to kids if inhaled and, sometimes, if ingested.
On the other hand, if your board is in an office, you may want a heavier duty cleaner. While these are chemical-filled, they do a better job of erasing ghostwriting, set-in marks and stubborn grime.
Cleaning Sets Versus Solo Sprays
Some of the best chalkboard cleaners come as part of a set with cleaning cloths, erasers and sometimes markers. These sets offer everything you need to start cleaning your board right away, but they may also include pieces you don’t want or already have.
Alternatively, you can buy a chalkboard cleaner spray alone without any accompaniments. This option is less expensive than buying a set, but you might need to invest in a cloth or eraser in order to use the spray effectively.
Now that we’ve covered some of the major considerations in buying chalkboard cleaner, let’s have a look at the six best chalkboard cleaners available right now.
1. Arteza Chalkboard Cleaner Set
With its attractive presentation box and range of included stylish and color-coordinated products, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Arteza Chalkboard Cleaner Set was more exciting than cleaning supplies. The three-piece set includes a 10-ounce cleaner with an optional spray top, a microfiber towel and a magnetic eraser. This non-toxic, ammonia-free and low-odor kit is an ideal choice for anyone, including teachers, as it can be used by both adults and children without worry. Additionally, the advanced formula doesn’t leave ghosting marks after use and won’t cause smudges or stains during future use, either.
Pros: This all-in-one kit comes beautifully presented, making it a gift-worthy idea.
Cons: The magnetic eraser won’t work if your board isn’t made from metal.
2. Chalkola Natural Chalkboard Cleaner Spray Kit
The Chalkola Natural Chalkboard Cleaner Spray & Eraser Kit is a comprehensive cleaning kit for all kinds of boards, including blackboards and whiteboards. It’s made up of a number of items, including two foam erasers, a white marker, a neutral cleaner and a microfiber cleaning cloth. The marker offers an easier way to mark boards than with traditional chalk, while the liquid, which is made from natural ingredients, is safe for use by adults and children and doesn’t possess any strong odors. Furthermore, a lot of pieces in the kit are a bright pink color which makes them harder to misplace or lose.
Pros: The kit’s brightly colored pieces are harder to misplace around the classroom or home.
Cons: The erasers aren’t magnetic, so they can’t be stored directly on metal boards.
3. Impresa Products Chalkboard Cleaner Spray
For a standalone spray that effectively cleans dry-erase surfaces, look no further than the Impresa Products Chalkboard Cleaner Spray. It’s ideal for a range of surfaces, including blackboards, whiteboards, chalkboards and glass surfaces, and it can also be used to clean writing implements. The bottle has printed directions and pro tips to help you make the most of your cleaner, including how to best remove stubborn stains by leaving the liquid on for longer. This cleaner is also non-toxic, making it okay for use at home, in the classroom and in other general areas. Furthermore, this USA-made spray eliminates the unpleasant ghosting appearance for a more like-new appearance.
Pros: This non-toxic spray can remove even stubborn surface marks.
Cons: While it can be used with rags, sponges and paper towels, you will need to supply them.
4. Whitey-Board Tidy-Board Chalkboard Cleaner
If you do a lot of writing and, therefore, a lot of cleaning, you may want to look at a larger capacity bottle of cleaning fluid. At 12 ounces, this Whitey-Board Tidy-Board Chalkboard Cleaner is capable of large amounts of cleaning and boasts a non-toxic formula that can restore old boards to near new by removing marks, residues and ghosting from erased writing. The USA-made formula is also all-natural and odorless, making it safe for use around pets. Additionally, this spray bottle comes with an accompanying micro-fiber cleaning cloth, meaning you’re ready to clean the moment the spray arrives.
Pros: The large, 12-ounce bottle ensures you’ll have plenty of cleaner for your surfaces.
Cons: The large bottle is also chunky, meaning it will be harder to store than smaller bottles.
5. VersaChalk 100% Natural Chalkboard Cleaner Spray
The VersaChalk 100% Natural Chalkboard Cleaner Spray is made up of all-natural ingredients and is completely free of alcohol, ammonia and petrochemical. This non-toxic formula makes it ideal for households and classrooms with children and pets. In addition to the 10-ounce spray bottle, the set comes with a bright blue microfiber cleaning cloth and two foam erasers, allowing you to clean a variety of surfaces, including porous chalkboards, whiteboards, plastic, glass, metal and ceramic.
Pros: The formula is free from alcohol, ammonia and petrochemicals, making it safe for use around children and pets.
Cons: The cleaner may not be as effective at removing ghosting as some competing cleaners.
6. Brilliant Bee Chalkboard Cleaning Kit
This Brilliant Bee Chalkboard Cleaning Kit includes a 10-ounce bottle of cleaning spray along with a cleaning cloth and two foam whiteboard erasers. The solution contains added chemicals to clean your chalkboard, whiteboard and other dry-erase surfaces more effectively than all-natural options. However, due to its chemical composition, it does need to be stored up and away from children and pets. In addition, the included cleaning cloth can be machine washed and sports a built-in loop for easy hanging when it’s not in use.
Pros: The cloths’ built-in hanging loops make them easy to hang them up.
Cons: The liquid is not child-friendly, so it needs to be stored in a safe place.