It has probably happened to most people at one stage or another – you've reached for a pen, haven't bothered to look at the label, and written all over your whiteboard only to find it was actually a permanent marker. But this doesn't mean that you need to throw your whiteboard out and buy a new one – there are actually effective ways to clean permanent ink off your board.
Use a generic whiteboard marker to scribble over the permanent ink, being sure to cover all of it. Let it sit like this for 5 or 10 minutes, then use a whiteboard eraser to rub it all out.
Method 2: Rubbing Alcohol
Get some rubbing alcohol out of your first aid kit or wherever else you keep it and tip a little onto a paper towel. Rub hard at the permanent marker, changing towels as you need to. This may take a few goes to completely remove the ink.
Method 3: Nail Polish Remover
Pour some nail polish remover onto a paper towel and rub vigorously at the permanent marker. Like the rubbing alcohol, this method may take a few goes to completely remove the ink. Just remember to open a window or two, as nail polish remover has a strong smell.
Method 4: Hand Sanitizer
This method is actually an offshoot of method 2, as alcohol is one of the main ingredients in hand sanitizers. Spray some onto a paper towel and rub at the permanent ink. This, too, may take a few goes to completely remove the ink.
Method 5: Vinegar and Water
Mix together a solution that is made up of 50% vinegar and 50% water. Dip a paper towel or cloth into the solution, and then use it to rub at the permanent marker.
Method 6: Oil Eater
Spray some Oil Eater cleaning solution directly onto the permanent marker and leave for a couple of minutes. When you wipe the solution off the whiteboard, it should have completely removed the ink.
Method 7: Hair Spray
Some people have found that spraying hair spray directly onto the permanent marker and leaving it for a few minutes is highly effective in removing ink. It does, however, leave a sticky residue on the whiteboard that will also need to be cleaned off before it can be used again.
With all the methods of getting permanent marker off a whiteboard, you are sure to find one that works for you. Trial and error, starting from the ones that you feel will work best, is sure to get results.