Chalkboards undergo a lot of wear and tear and need to be cleaned on a ordinary basis
. If proper cleaning techniques are not used, then the damage caused can last forever. Cleaning a chalkboard with water can result in permanent damage. Therefore, dry cleaning is the best option.
The use of chemicals should be avoided because the stone that's used in making a chalkboard will react with the chemicals and permanently damage the writing surface. Cleaning the surface of a chalkboard with water on a every day basis will most probably result in a damaged board after some days.
There are numerous chalkboard cleaning devices available on the market and include felt erasers, erasers made of cloth and sponges. If you want a chalkboard to be spotlessly fresh, you can occasionally mix ammonia with water. However, a small amount of ammonia should be mixed with the water so that the chemical reaction of stone and ammonia is avoided. Micro fiber cloth can also be used in effectively cleaning a chalkboard without causing damage to the surface.
Another method of cleaning a chalkboard is using a cloth that is soaked with two or three drops of orange oil applied to the board and left overnight. This is an powerful technique that does not really leave any streaks or stains after the board is cleaned.
The best method of cleaning a chalkboard is said to be from the top left hand corner to the right hand corner. The cleaner is supposed to fresh the board in an up and down motion so that the chalk dust does not really adhere to the surface in an irregular manner.
Writing on a damp board that's just been cleaned can cause the writing to stick to the board making it extremely hard for anyone to erase it. Therefore, care should be taken when dealing with a wet board, as poor cleaning habits can damage the material used for constructing the board.