# Safely remove permanent marker from a white board?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 20, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921 "2003-03-20T22:41:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/1 "2003-03-20T22:41:29Z")
We had a little accident at work today – _someone_ left the wrong type of markers on the shelf under the white board and when it came time to erase… yup.
So, is there anything that will remove the permanent ink that won’t destroy the white board coating at the same time? I’m not hopeful, but I thought I’d ask before I ask for a replacement.
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### Author:  [@Whiskey-Hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey-Hotel)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/2 "2003-03-20T22:46:55Z")
Use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. You can get this at any pharmacy. You could also try the 70% stuff, but it’ll take more elbow grease.
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### Author:  [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/3 "2003-03-20T22:50:09Z")
Acetone will almost certainly dissolve the ink, but it might take the board coating with it.
Isopropyl rubbing alcohol won’t be as effective as acetone on the ink, but it should still take it off with a little elbow grease, and leave the board surface intact.
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/4 "2003-03-20T22:58:34Z")
Try scribbling over the permanent marker with whiteboard marker, then wiping it away. The solvent in the whiteboard marker has, in my experience, always been enough to get the permanent marker out. (your mileage may vary depending on exact brands/types of markers, but this works great with Sharpies and Expo dry-erase markers)
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/5 "2003-03-20T23:17:12Z")
Second vote for **ntucker** ’s method.
It won’t be clean if you’ve filled up the board with permanent ink, (and the _sooner_ you remove it, the better), but for a couple of jotted notes with the wrong pen, overwriting with dry erase marker and wiping it off should take care of it.
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### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/6 "2003-03-20T23:19:27Z")
I’m happy to hear there is such a cheap and easy to acquire solution as isopropyl alcohol.
And if that doesn’t work, I’ll try **ntucker** ’s way.
Thank you, guys, this board is the best. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/7 "2003-03-20T23:20:05Z")
I have used WD-40 to get Sharpie marks off a whiteboard. It leaves a greasy residue, as you might expect, but that washes off with soap and water.
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### Author:  [@Whiskey-Hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey-Hotel)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/8 "2003-03-20T23:27:15Z")
Ahhh, good ol’ WD-40. With that and a roll of duck tape a fella could rule the world. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/9 "2003-03-20T23:28:36Z")
Wick lighter fluid also works well, and won’t damage most surfaces. This works very well for adhesive tape residue, also. Before you use any solvent, you ought to test it in a corner, to make sure it won’t be harmful.
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### Author:  [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/10 "2003-03-20T23:30:33Z")
Cutter’s Insect Repellent. Trust me on this one…
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/11 "2003-03-20T23:55:37Z")
A teacher of mine was at a workshop type thing at another school when someone wrote on the whiteboard with perm. marker. They tried everything to get it off, and after they had exhausted all other options (and must have been exhausted themselves and starting to mess around) they tried _coffee_ and it worked.
So apparently you should try insect repellent or coffee.
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### Author:  [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/12 "2003-03-21T00:36:37Z")
I’ve used nail polish remover, which contains acetone. It didn’t harm the board in my case, but YMMV. If nothing else works, try that.
Damn, that must have been _some_ coffee!
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### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/13 "2003-03-21T00:39:30Z")
You know, it’s starting to sound like just about _every_ liquid in the universe will work. 😃
Maybe they should change the name to Not-Too-Permanent markers.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/14 "2003-03-21T03:44:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Whiskey-Hotel \*
> \*\*Ahhh, good ol’ WD-40. With that and a roll of duck tape a fella could rule the world. 🙂 \*\*
Isn’t it great that they have tape for problems that occur with ducks (loose feathers, broken wing, bleeding bill)? I mean, what an amazing world!
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/15 "2003-03-21T03:49:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by radar ralf \*
> \*\*Cutter’s Insect Repellent. Trust me on this one… \*\*
Could be, I remember at the police station they gave me insect spray to clean off the fingerprint ink.
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### Author:  [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/16 "2003-03-21T06:07:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by don’t ask \*
> \*\*Could be, I remember at the police station they gave me insect spray to clean off the fingerprint ink. \*\*
I must say, your username is quite appropriate for this post. 🙂
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### Author:  [@McTaggart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McTaggart)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safely-remove-permanent-marker-from-a-white-board/162921/17 "2003-03-21T06:42:03Z")
I work in a lab where we have access to all sorts of solvents, and I’ve written on our whiteboard with Nalgene “superpermanent” cryomarkers more kinds than I can count (they look _exactly_ like Expo dry erase markers).
70% ethanol works OK.
100% isopropanol works better.
Neither 100% acetone nor 100% methanol are any better than isopropanol, despite acetone’s amazing ability to clean glassware.
I haven’t tried the strong acid solution we use to clean crud from the bottom of flasks; I can just picture the board melting into the sink. I also haven’t tried chloroform or diethyl ether: it just ain’t worth the trouble.
Nothing I’ve tried gets it off for good, although the writeover-with-dry-erase-markers trick does a good job of fading it.
YMMV.
McT