Whiteboard Tips

I read on numerous pages to just use a sock to erase stuff because it tends to scratch less than paper towels or miscellaneous things you find. I just use small hand towels that were sold as "work rags" that were quite cheap and very fluffy.

You can use Vis-A-Vis overhead markers or wet erase markers on whiteboards, if you want a slightly more permanent type of mark. For D&D, you could draw walls with Vis-A-Vis markers, and people with dry erase markers. Move people by just erasing them. Redo the walls with a damp cloth (sock?) and dry the board before drawing more.

Test first! When you get a new dry erase board, try marking it in a corner. If that comes off, use several colors in that corner and see if they all come off. Try Vis-A-Vis. When all done with those tests, try a long-term test by marking the corner with each marker and waiting a day or maybe a week. Wipe and see if the markers stained the board.

If you do want to permanently mark your board, Sharpie permanent markers may not do the trick. The dry erase marker will act like a solvent and you might end up wiping away your lines. You can damage the board with a tiny scratch from a knife point, and that will turn black because the whiteboard marker flecks will get stuck in there and your eraser won't be able to clean inside. A deep enough scratch will expose the cardboard backing, and that will get black in a hurry. Also, you can use paint, but make the line as thin as possible. Paint won't let markers wipe off, so the lines will eventually turn black.

Because dry erase markers act as a solvent, you can sometimes remove Sharpie permanent marker marks by just drawing over them with a dry erase marker and then wiping them both away. In my tests, you might need to use the dry erase marker a few times before you get the surface clean, but it often will get rid of the permanent marker.