I do all my math and physics homework on a whiteboard I've installed in my dorm room. It's hung by 3M command strips, so no holes in the wall! It's been my faithful companion for three years now.
Unfortunately, it was starting to wear out. Ink wasn't erasing like it used to, I found myself having to use the cleaning spray more and more often just to get the marker stains off the board. A friend of mine stopped by yesterday to work on some general relativity homework, and gave me this great tip:
WD-40.That's right. If your board has lost that "slick" surface, spray some WD-40 on a rag and wipe down the board. Instantly, the board was performing like new. Markers that couldn't mark the "dry" board were now working like new, and the ink erased effortlessly.
I have a sneaking suspicion that WD-40 will be appearing in many of these posts.
Another tip - when your eraser gets nasty with dried ink, just wash it off in the sink. Run it under some water and scrub it with your bare hand. Press it into a towel to dry. This works with the hard plastic erasers and the styrofoam kind. You'll lose it long before it wears out.
Cheers,
Jeremy