Q: My husband uses dry erase markers on the refrigerator and it has never been a problem but the last time he wrote with a thick black expo marker it won’t come off. I tried wiping with just a cloth, expo cleaner, goo gone, magic eraser, hair spray, soft scrub, comet, bleach.
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I have tried everything. Nothing is working. We live in an apartment and I don’t know what is worse the black marks or the paint gone off a fridge that is not ours. And I thought it would be my one year old I had to worry about drawing not my husband.
Tip #1: Try using nail polish remover with acetone or rubbing alcohol. Bleach should work, too.
Tip #2: Try white/clear rubbing alcohol with cotton balls, and rub, rub, rub.
Tip #3: I use a fume-free cold oven cleaner. My daughter has used a black Expo marker on my fridge and on my walls. Just spray it on, and wipe off. It works really quick. Just don’t use it on wood. It separates the wood.
Tip #4: Pick up a package of ‘Magic Eraser’ by 3M. Walmart carries them and most grocery stores do too. Just get it slightly damp and the marks should come right up. It’s removed almost every stain I’ve put it up against.
Tip #5: Try using the orange cleaner made for vertical surfaces (in an aerosol can instead of a pump bottle). My son used the same type of marker on a white cabinet and the orange cleaner just happened to be the first thing I grabbed and it removed all traces of the marker.
Tip #6: Try hairspray first. If that doesn’t work try wd40 with a magic eraser.
Tip #7: Go to your local fix it store and buy some appliance touch up paint. It works great!
Tip #8: Try baking soda – just make a paste from baking soda & water & use a soft cloth (wash cloth) to rub off stain. It will not harm the paint. This has taken crayon off painted walls, sharpie permanent marker off wood desk & plastic play house, I use this paste for everything! Good Luck!
Tip #9:We use white boards in the restaurant for prep lists and every once in awhile someone will use permanent markers instead of eraseable. We just use a cleaner called “Spray 9”. You can find it in most hardware stores.
You just spray and wipe off with either a soft cloth or a non-scratch scrubbie. Sometimes you may need a little elbow grease. The white boards usually look better than new afterwards. Spray 9 even helps get rid of scuff and crayon marks off walls as well.
Dry erase markers can be removed from plastic surfaces more quickly by using hydrogen peroxide.