Cleaning Battlemats?

TheAuldGrump

First Post

• Jun 28, 2006

• #1

Before the Great Crash of '06 there was a thread on cleaning battlemats.

Two months ago I lent my Battlemat to a friend of mine to run a game, since there have been no major battles I have not pulled out the battlemat since getting it back. He had left blue marker on the map before rolling it up and putting it in the tube.

Does anyone remember the method for removal? I seem to recall oven cleaner, bleach, and alcohol (not together) as the primary methods, but do not remember for certain.

Morale: never loan stuff out...

The Auld Grump

 

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T

Thaniel

First Post

• Jun 28, 2006

• #2

I use the same thing I use to clean everything. Something I found years ago called Charlie's Soap. I think you can order it from their website www.charliesoap.com. I just buy it at my local store, but it's not very widely known right now. It's great stuff.

 

M

Mage of Spellford

Explorer

• Jun 28, 2006

• #3

Sometimes just writing over the mark with another pen will allow you to wipe the
dried ink off. I know this worked great when someone used a permanent marker on my BM.

M

 

MonkeyDragon

Explorer

• Jun 28, 2006

• #4

Windex Multisurface. The Vinegar formula. It's clear instead of blue, has a white label. It's good stuff. Gets all the old residue off my mat without taking off the ink lines (and since i made my mat myself with a sharpie on the same kind of vinyl the regular mats are made on, this is quite a feat).

 

Yttrai

First Post

• Jun 28, 2006

• #5

That thread OP suggested brake cleaner. That contains such carcinogenic goodness like toluene, hexanes, xylenes, and in some cases methylene chloride. I can email you an MSDS if you like. Or you can just stay far far away from the stuff.


Instead, try straight rubbing alcohol, or the 70 % stuff. If you have a household cleaner called "Oops" try that. Also, turpentine could be useful. Lastly, as someone smart mentioned, the right soap and water. Conditioner might also be useful. I kid you not. Rub on a thin film of conditioner onto an already damp mat, let sit a few minutes, then rinse well.

WD40 can get up a lot of stuff, including some kinds of permanant markers. Be sure to clean with soap and water or rubbing alcohol after the mat dries to remove the less volatile hydrophobics.

DO NOT try nail polish remover or paint stripper.

And i suspect you know this, but test drive the solvent on a corner that isn't important, to make certain you don't erase the lines.

(I repeated and condensed a lot of the common sense type advice, not because i think _you_ don't know these things, but for all the other people who've never tried any of this.)

 

O

Ogrork the Mighty

Explorer

• Jun 28, 2006

• #6

The vinegar Windex works well. That being said, I find red the hardest to get off and I still have it on some of my battlemaps from years ago.

 

frankthedm

First Post

• Jun 28, 2006

• #7

I hear plain windex works well.

And i will just mention Children's Washable Markers work well in my experience on battlemats.

 

Turjan

Explorer

• Jun 28, 2006

• #8

I would really try isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) first, the higher concentrated, the better. It's usually pretty safe with all kinds of plastic and most printed colors. Most of the other stuff listed in the thread (except soap) is a bit borderline and might damage the mat.

 

Steel_Wind

Legend

• Jun 28, 2006

• #9

One thing is certain: nail polish remover is Battlemat death-in-a-bottle.

I have no experience with brake cleaning fluid. I do recall the post extolling its virtues, however.

 

Aeric

Explorer

• Jun 28, 2006

• #10

Agreed about nail polish remover. I tried that once and had a nice white spot on my otherwise blue hexmap. Just say no to nail polish remover!