How to Clean a Blackboard

Knowing how to clean a blackboard properly will keep it looking new year after year.

Use vinegar for cleaning

There are several cleaning methods for blackboards, also called chalkboards, that will maintain their rich color, smooth appearance and quality writing surface. Commercial cleaners and special cleaning cloths made specifically for blackboards do an excellent job of cleaning and caring for chalkboards.

Several commercial blackboard cleaning products include:

• Zenrase
• Ampep Misty Chalkboard Cleaner
• Prang Liquid Chalkboard Cleaner
• Zig Chalkboard Cleaner
• Chalkboard cleaning cloths are available at most teacher supply stores or online at websites such as K 12 School Supplies or Open Tip

Lemon oil is an excellent blackboard cleaner. Simple apply two teaspoons of lemon oil to a clean cloth approximately 6 inches square. Fold the cloth and store it in a sealed plastic bag for twenty-four hours. The cleaning cloth is then ready to use.

Making a cleaning solution for blackboards is as simple as mixing white vinegar into water. The solution should be in a ratio of eight parts water to one part white vinegar.

• Measure four cups of warm water into a container.
• Mix in one half cup of white vinegar.
• Wet a clean cloth and wring out as much water as possible.
• Start at the top left hand corner and wipe the blackboard top to bottom moving right as each row is completed.
• Allow the blackboard to dry completely.

Over the past decades the methods of cleaning a classroom blackboard have changed. In days past, a student was assigned the job of cleaning the blackboard at the end of the school day. To accomplish the task the child would:

• Use the blackboard eraser to vigorously rub all the chalk off of the classroom blackboard, often resulting in a huge chalk dust cloud.
• If there were two erasers, the chosen student went outside of the school and pounded the two erasers together. If there was only one eraser, it was the student’s job to clean the chalk dust out of the eraser by pounding it against the wall of the school. Either way the result was the formation of another great cloud of chalk dust.
• Once a week, usually on Friday, someone was given the job of washing the blackboards after everything was erased. Generally, this was done by thoroughly soaking the blackboard with a sponge that was dipped into a pail of water. Although this was supposed to clean the blackboard, it often resulted in a white hazy film being left on the board.

Although a student may still be given the job of cleaning the classroom blackboard, modern cleaning methods are very different from years ago. Today we know that soaking a blackboard with water causes permanent damage to the surface over time. Washing the chalkboard with water also causes ghosting to develop making it hard to read anything written on the blackboard.

The following method is one of the easiest ways to clean chalkboards. This simple method will keep your classroom blackboards looking like new.

• Thoroughly erase the blackboard each day using a standard type blackboard eraser
• Use a chalkboard cloth made specifically for cleaning blackboards. These special cleaning cloths are chemically treated and last approximately a year. Simply wipe the board with the cleaning cloth starting at the top left corner. Clean the entire blackboard by wiping from top to bottom.

The following tips will add to the life of your chalkboard

• Never write on a blackboard that is wet regardless of the cleaning product used.
• A dusting spray such as Pledge or Endust will effectively clean a blackboard. Always spray the product onto the cleaning cloth, not directly onto the blackboard.
• If you are in a hurry and cannot wait for your blackboard to air dry completely, dry it using a lint free microfiber cloth.

Once you know how to clean a blackboard correctly using any of the above methods, it will last for many years to come.

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