Why Is My Whiteboard So Dirty?
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- If you have an old, well-used whiteboard in your classroom, you might see something a little strange -- ghosts! But not the spooky, bust-able kind... these are the ghosts of lectures past!
Hosted by: Hank Green
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I think ''why is my nipple hair longer than my chest hair'' is a better question.
Just because your human... and we're unique my cousin
Why does the hair under one armpit grow faster than the other?
+Mongis Lort i dont have tities hair, sorry m8
Using dry erase markers to re-dissolve permanent marker was a trick I first saw on a film set, since nearly everyone writing on an old school clapboard has mistakenly written the scene number and such in the wrong marker at least once in their film career. It was a lifesaver tip.
o: fancy.
Good answer, but you ignored something critical. :|
When you erase a spelling error on a whiteboard with your fingertip you leave behind a finger-smudge of oil. The oils from your finger adhere to the surface of the whiteboard better than the silicone polymers do. Finger oils are also more viscous. Pigments trapped in this thicker oil can get left behind even when using an eraser on the board, making the board appear dirty. This is another reason cleaning a whiteboard with a solvent such as alcohol is so effective; it washes away finger oils too. Finger oils also cause ghosting; the solvents in the marker pick up the finger-oils and the pigments trapped within, leaving a negative whitespace in the path of the marker the next time you erase.
The more you know.
+yoyofargo So don't put hands on the board, don't erase too soon and don't leave something unerased when you leave the room.
got it.
I am constantly asking my students to avoid using their fingers to erase the mini whiteboards and page protectors we use as whiteboard style surfaces. They never believe me! I wish Hank had said it. They might believe me!
Yup. Learned that the hard way. My whit board is like, 70% red now.
*solved with solvents.
Hank, why did you not say that?
They would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling scientists.
+TheRedKnight *too Sorry :P
To be honest, with a dumb title like "Why Is My Whiteboard So Dirty", I was expecting Hank to be like: "Because you don't fucking clean it!" then skip to the outro music.
The real answer is because there's always some idiot that uses a permanent marker.
Quick tip: when that happens you can overwrite the permanent marking with a dry erase marker and then erase both.
+docopoper Haha... such a frustration at the workplace
New Razer Whitewidow Chroma RGB Whiteboard with full anti-ghosting!
#mlg
You know sometimes I don't even know I need the answer to a question until you guys ask it. So thank you so much
+Storm Pretty well summed up my thoughts exactly.
As a teacher in training, this is useful as fuck.
Pleb.
+Diana, the Inorganic Vegan
Are you saying you came from the future though a time machine?
I'll edit it.
as a teacher in training this should be common knowledge xD
Devoki
The chemistry was new to me. I knew the alcohol trick.
Why do I go deaf for a few seconds when I yawn ?
that's just you buddy
Same thing happens to me
+jaz joy Tensor tympani muscles
+jaz joy that happened to me once
+jaz joy and slightly tear up as well
thats a hell of a mystery no one thought was a mystery and didnt even really need solving but damn if it didnt just get solved
I APPRECIATED THAT HOMESTUCK REFERENCE
+woodfur00 and I would appreciate it if you calmed down.
Alec Whatshisname WHAT? I'M CALM.
_Ghosts of Whiteboard's past_
And if you accidentally use a permanent marker you can draw over with a dry erase marker because it has alcohol in it.
I use that trick all the time. XD
+The Leaf Thinker That is my favorite cleaning "trick." I still remember when I first saw that demonstrated, being completely amazed. Still strikes me as wonderfully weird.
I used to scrub off old graffiti on the white gloss painted concrete walls at school in the early to mid 90's when I was bored in class and next to the wall. I used the white board markers (which I stole from the school) to dissolve and erase the graffiti that was dated over 10yrs old like.. "I was ere 79"
This is why the best white boards are made with glass instead of the cheap cardboard ones. The best and easiest way to make a nice whiteboard is to take a pane of glass and spray paint one side white.
+David Lam -flamingsword1 You could also just put the glass in front of something white. That way, the glass stays transparent for whatever other use =)
You could have also mentioned that after cleaning the whiteboard with alcohol, you can then use a special whiteboard sealant to refurbish the surface so that it's no longer as porous.
+lohphat You can spray paint it with clear coat, polyurethane will be fine. Polyurethane would be better than acrylic since acrylic solvents are commonly in dry erase markers, and will wear down like before.
Most 'dry erase' paints are polyurethane based.
A cool fact about dry erase having acrylic solvents, it can be used to remove permanent marker :)
because it gets dirty....there..saved you watching the video
One more mystery _solved_, am I right guys?
Hey Hank and the team! I'm 16 and from Wales (the mountains to the left of England :D) and our exams (called GSCEs) are going to start in the next week and I have 20 to do so I've got a lot of work to do. I have 9 science exams, 3 in biology, 3 in chemistry and 3 in physics and I love them all. I just want to say thank you, to you and the team. You have really fuelled my love of science and nature and taught me so much, you've helped me understand lots of aspects of my course to a higher level and allowed me to progress to get where I am now. Having said that I need to get back to revision :p Thank you Sci Show!
Wow, whenever I see a comment that seems genuinely appreciative of the channel they're posting on at the end it usually turns out that they're plugging their own channel. You weren't plugging your own channel. Am I... am I still on UA-cam?
Also important to add that many none whiteboard surfaces, such as shower paneling, are re-purposed and marketed as "whiteboards." These surfaces are usually more porous and have only a thin layer of "white" surface, so scrubbing with alcohol makes that barrier thinner and thinner making ghosting more and more apparent as time goes on. My school bought cheap whiteboards and we were all told to use non corrosive liquids and light rubbing to make them last as long as possible.
Hand sanitizer also works wonders cleaning up white board and permanent markers!
You can use a permanent marker on a laminated sheet of paper and clean off the sheet as good as new at the end of the school year. Great for birthday charts, yearly class themes, etc.
One of my college instructors uses spray-on cleaning car wax to clear up our whiteboards. It's able to pick up the stubborn dried ink very easily and leaves the whiteboard looking brand new but more importantly, after cleaning, it leaves a thin and fairly durable coating of wax that you can write on.
White board cleaner softens most non-glass white boards wearing out the surface and making ghosts inevitable. Instead clean with slightly soapy water. The soapy water cleans just as well and leaves a soapy film that helps with future cleaning.
This is so RACIST!!!! There used to be millions of blackboards employed in classrooms across the world, but they were replaced by whiteboards. #blackboardlivesmatter
+Master Therion This is amazing. Thank you.
Don't forget about our poor green chalkboards! Those poor boards... 😥 #StopWhiteboardSupremacy
+Master Therion Blackboards are still the dominant surface in universities lol
+King of Dongles Not in my university. While a couple of rooms still have blackboards, everyone uses the whiteboards instead.
fight the power brothers!
So this is why selected classrooms in my University have a glass board instead of a white board
Hi guys, I'm just a Bulgarian proud to see another Bulgarian mentioned on SciShow- Cyril Mechkov!
If you have dried up whiteboard marker on your whiteboard, but haven't got any rubbing alcohol, try writing over the dried up parts with a fresh whiteboard marker, that usually does the trick as well :)
ALSO permanent marker on whiteboard can be dissolved with a dry-erase marker. Just scribble over the permanent marker with the erasable one, and it should come off if you erase immediately
One trick to prolonging the health of the whiteboard is to avoid using erasers that create the pores, holes and micro-abrasions mentioned in the video. Avoid most branded erasers and stay completely away from paper towels or tissues. The best I've found is a simple white washcloth. It's soft enough to avoid damaging the board, and it can be easily thrown in the wash to renew it. Bonus - you don't need to buy erasers anymore.
micro fiber fabric works great at removing marker on a white board.
This was way more interesting than I thought. Yay, SciShow. I need to get back into watching you more.
I always thought it was to do with the liquid component of the ink drying out. Thanks for giving a proper explanation though *_:D_*
(I work in a stationary store, so it helps if I can explain it properly).
Oh, and pro-tip for anyone without any cleaning agent / alcohol for cleaning... Writing over the dried text again with another whiteboard marker will allow it to be wiped off (as it reintroduces the oil, un-sticking the pigment). You're welcome
Warm water works very, very well and is better for the white board surface than most comercial cleaning fluids. Try it, it really works well. You can also add some soap to the water.
hot water mixed with vinegar and bi-carb soda works as good as any store-bought cleaner, if not a little, or indeed a lot, better in some cases.
Awesome. Good to know. XD
This transition to an episode a week is really great! Thank you, SciShow team for quenching my thirst for knowledge and satisfying my curiosity. Hoping to see more fascinating stuff from you guys later!
Awesome vid as always! Thanks so much
Ever thought about doing a vid on chalkboard walls? we have one and have to repaint due to ghosting as well... could be a step we're missing since it's not a smooth surface like a chalkboard would be. It's drywall.
Thank you for teaching me how to clean my whiteboard! It didn't want to buy the overpriced cleaners and instead made my whiteboard brand new with $0.79 rubbing alcohol
You can use Hand sanitizer made of isopropyl alcohol to clean the white board. The gel sticks well on the surface and is more effective than just alcohol, especially if the white board is fixed in a vertical position...
A whiteboard hack that I learned recently: If you accidentally write on a whiteboard with permanent marker, it can be erased away by marking over it with a dry-erase marker and then wiping it as normal. No idea how it works (even with this video), but I am really happy it does. :)
we used to type physics rules and erase it a little bit and everyone in the class wouldn't have to study
Or use a glass board with a white wall behind, like in college.
+Tomás Woodall I've visited 5 different colleges ranging from cheap community to expensive as hell. None has a glass board with a white wall.
+13megaprime I've graduated from public one that used chalk board. After seeying glass, I thought it was a new trend.
+13megaprime ifce.edu.br/
IFCE uses glass.
+Tomás Woodall cool. It's surprising to me why colleges wouldnt has glass boards, especially considering they make so much money.
Just thinking out loud - this feels like it belongs in Mental Floss quick questions, not sci-show.
Not complaining, just observing. I guess you can answer more questions this way.
I just use one of those blue dishcloths. Make it damp with some water. It works perfectly, although I need to wipe the board and then dry it very shortly after, so I do the board in sections
An old worn whiteboard prone to ghosting can be de-pigmented with alcohol, but afterward it will erase worse than before. Washing it with dish soap solution, and letting a thin layer of the solution dry onto the board, seems to fill/coat the surface and restore erasability. It'd be interesting to try an actual silicone releasing agent sometime.
If a whiteboard has micro scratches, pits or cracks then it should continue ghosting. If you use a solvent to clean the board, then buff it with car polish, it might last longer. It would be interesting to make a whiteboard that uses charge to hold the pigment. The eraser could have a stronger charge to pull the pigment off the board. Also, the charge difference where there is pigment could be "read" so the image could be digitally reproduced. Reading the colors might be tricky, but different colors may have slightly different charges.
It's probably better to just use a big screen at that point.
I thought this was blindingly obvious
+SimderZ You're so smart man
wow you must be like so smart teach me how to become an edgy teenager degenerate pls
Why do my ears Pop & get plugged? Please do a video on that.
+Yishai Thau Didn't they already do that?
Derron Tsai Did they?
+Yishai Thau I want to know too!
Princess Luna That'd be such a good one.
It happens when the pressure from the inside of the ear cavity is less then the pressure of the air around you. Not sure how that happens though. Might be the fact that when you're going to higher elevations, the pressure of the air around you increases. Like this reply if my answer is right
50-50 mixture of vinegar and water does the trick as well. As a former teacher, I used this mixture just about daily.
Okay, I'm a teacher (preschool) and I have to change the whiteboard every week or so. I've been seriously struggling with getting the stupid old marker off, especially since the only time I get to write on the board is the very beginning of my class. Aka, when I'm supposed to be watching the kids and not having my back to them for 20 minutes while I try to wipe/wash the old marker off. Imma get some rubbing alcohol from somewhere. If this works, you've just saved me a lot of frustration.
So the best whiteboard would just be a pane of glass with a white wall behind it?
+MaxSnow24 I was thinking the same thing, like a mirror with white instead of reflective film on the reverse side.
it's a non problem when you compare it to a massive pain of glass hung in a classroom.
+michael benzur like a window?
+tjwoosta 5 times as big and hanging.
Oh chemistry! All this bonding makes even the dullest lectures almost sexy! Rub that board is what I'ma do to the next ghosting-infected board :P
I had found out the same thing and speculated the same reason based on solvents in markers (partly recognising from their ethanol-ish smell) and had been using hand sanitizer to clean my board for a while. But I didn't know about the pores and anyways, well done with the video.
At first I thought "ok, that's a boring question" but then it turned out to be more interesting than I thought it would be - and I know to clean my whiteboard with rubbing alcohol :D
I have noticed that the different colours have different smells. Clearly the pigments contribute to the smell of the solvent.
One interesting thing you can do that also works is *write* on stubborn marks with a new pen and then wipe. The solvent from the pen will redissolve the markings as long as you do it quickly..
He mentioned that in the video
David Lam -flamingsword1 No, I mean towards the end where he talks about board cleaners. You can actually use a marker as a board cleaner by redrawing over old marks.
As a teacher, I've also noticed a significant difference in the behaviour of different types of Dry Erase Markers. Some erase quite well, while others take significant effort, and ghost much more. I wonder how much difference there is in the manufacturing of these markers / the proportions of their ingredients?
+David Learmonth the cheap ones try and cut corners and use some silicone oil in an effort to cut down on more expensive ingredients. That's what I was told anyway.
Very interesting!! Thank you very much. It is always interesting to see the meaning behind the commun issues. It brings better solutions.
I feel as though they were stumped for ideas and were throwing around different brainstorms and were using a whiteboard and in the process (maybe) of becoming frustrated of being unable to come up with something, someone asked why the damn whiteboard had ghosts on it, and voila. The rest is history.
Ever accidentally grab the permanent marker and write on your whiteboard? That's there for life, right? NO! Take a dry erase marker and write over the permanent marker. The permanent marker underneath wipes away with the dry erase.
+Timothy Spence It's mo-fo' real, bruh.
a lot fewer people know about this than i thought
I'd really appreciate it if you dedicated videos to some more interesting topics in the future.
I've compiled a list of just some of less profound questions as well as ones with extremely obvious answers to those with the time to do a few seconds of research.
- Why Is My Whiteboard So Dirty?
- Urinal cakes: why?
- Why do we have butt hair?
- Why Owls Are Night Ninjas
- Do Negative-Calorie Foods Exist?
- Do cell phones cause cancer?
- Why Does Water Go Stale Overnight?
- Why Does Plane Food Taste So Bad?
I of course am aware that interest differs from person to person but I feel that you may be tending towards answering questions about extremely exoteric topics instead of addressing queries that cannot be elucidated through an absent-minded google search.
I think the point of these 'quick questions' is to address unusual but still interesting topics they wouldn't normally talk about. And at the end of the day they're only going to talk about questions you can find the answers to on google because they too need to be able to research them
I think the point of these 'quick questions' is to address unusual but still interesting topics they wouldn't normally talk about. And at the end of the day they're only going to talk about questions you can find the answers to on google because they too need to be able to research them
I think the point of these 'quick questions' is to address unusual but still interesting topics they wouldn't normally talk about. And at the end of the day they're only going to talk about questions you can find the answers to on google because they too need to be able to research them
+Orion Andersen most of those questions are provided by patreons. You can become a patreon and ask whatever you like, too.
morethejamesx39 You can research topics via other methods than google; however what I really meant is that the topics would have little material that was articulated in a simple form or little material all together. Examples would be the mechanics of abiogenesis, the negative energy that makes up space or neutron decay.
Ohh, I didn't know I can use rubbing alcohol instead of expensive dry-erase-board cleaner! Thank you!
Wet wipes works really well at cleaning white board.
Elementary schools here in the Philippines have blackboards while the high school and college have whiteboards.Elementary schools also usually hang Manila paper with questions or notes to copy.Miss those.
We Filipinos call permanent markers as pentel pens.
I saw the thumbnail and read it "Why is my boyfriend dirty?" I FEEL SO ASHAMED LMAO 😭😂😂
In my school we use green-boards and chalk
My school uses chalkboards...
glass "whiteboards" are fun to write on
Plus, its quite common for someone to use a permanent marker on a whiteboard, and it never cleans off completely.
Especially when some prankster swaps the teacher/lecturer's whiteboard markers for permanent ones!
The rubbers that come with pens sometimes just make a mess. I use antibacterial wipes, even though I was told not to. They work. ☺
lol I could swear this said keyboard... I guess there are other reasons why that's dirty...
thanks a bunch... this is really quite useful:)
Great vid...always learn something from them! Quick question: Why do we hiccup?
we use only some chalk and meth in class..
Was that supposed to be funny?
+Qavalina Andrade I think he meant methylated spirits, not Chrystal Meth. (cf Simon and Garfunkel - blessed are the meth drinkers.)
+Immortal SoFar okaaaaaay?
Immortal SoFar lol exactly for the holy spirit of the forest! Kazoooooo
Qavalina Andrade youve to tell me
I find that Windex cleans them well.
+C S Martin Windex also cleanses the soul. Just drink it.
I'm not sure this explains why using a dry-erase marker to draw over permanent marker makes the whole thing dry-erasable.
They both use the same solvent. Actually permanent marker will come off most non- porous surfaces if you wipe it off with rubbing alcohol.
Gunna send this to all my teachers
But why is there lint in my bellybutton?
+Moonbeam cuz u wear clothes?
why is there bellybutton in my lint
why does my bellybutton smell like asshole? even when I clean it in the shower.
+LethalTrigger because clothes wear you
xyvaz maybe seagulls dont cow?
HANK IS BACK YEAHHHH
Hand sanitizer removes permanent marker for the same reasons. Permanent markers are alcohol based and when the isopropyl alcohol in hand sanitizer comes in contact with permanent marker ink, it dissolves it and lifts it away.
Our Whiteboard even it's 'clean' it's scary to look at xD
What is precum?
+GuzmonA en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-ejaculate
+GuzmonA
Wow! *wink*
+Jonnie32004 Playz for asking a legitimate question lol
I put a thin piece of $10 glass over the whiteboard for this reason.
No smudging, just a little harder to write, but not hard once you get used to writing on it.
Glad to know I was doing it correctly.
+Newb Programming
So...why do you have a whiteboard then?
Star Dreamers
Because using a thin piece of glass by itself you can see through and the words are clearer if you use both. I have one of the easel boards.
Question, you always says the Patreons keep the answers coming.
So what you are just repeating the answers they already gave?
I would think they would be the ones to supply the questions and you use your science knowledge to answer them.
Hitting the big questions
also, on some surfaces, writing over a permanent mark with a dry erase ink will allow you to wipe away the permanent maker.
For older / cheaper whiteboards:
Apply some WD-40 and buff with a paper towel. Easily removes ghosting and rejuvenates the surface.
I nearly misread whiteboard for whitebeard, i was like ''wait, whitebeard from one piece is dirty? how?'' XD
I remember writing on my teacher's whiteboard with Sharpie in first grade.
A light coating of mineral oil will have your whiteboard working super nicely!
I haven't wiped the notes on my whiteboard off in over a year.
I'm scared to see what's underneath...
That shirt needs to be ironed!
Finaly Hank!
I have a question:
What exactly is smell? Why can I smell some things from very far away (like skunk) but other things (like my chapstick) can only be smelled from up close? And how can some things be smelled almost instantly? Like blood in water for a shark, or the extremely smelly thioacetone (which could even be smelled in other buildings, according to the deadliest chemicals video).
hank roasted anyone who believes in ghosts lmao
Is catharsis really works/true ?
I waited through all of that to hear the obvious solution of using a cleaner. :P
i usually just write over it with another dry erase marker and then erase and it comes right off
I'm emailing this to all my teachers
Here is a question that I have had for a little while. With the multiverse theory slowly becoming more accepted in the scientific community and it only being a matter of time before that theory is either proven/disproven, do we have a system of cataloging the alternate universes to our own?
Whiteboard Magic:
If you have an old dry erase marker stain on a whiteboard that you want to get rid of, don't rush to get any cleaner. First try marking over it with another dry-erase marker and letting it have a chance to dissolve into the new solution. This solves most issue fairly easily. If it fails, then go for the cleaner.
Have you ever marked on a dry erase board with a permanent market before? Here is another instance where you can solve the problem without resorting to special cleaners - just thoroughly mark over that permanent marker with a dry-erase marker. Just like above you need to give it a moment to dissolve and may have to do this a few times but it should make the dry erase marker go away with minimal effort or expense.
I use a dry erase board all the time and have had to deal with both situations relatively frequently. Of course once there is a crack in the board, there is no removing the stains (ghosts).