Getting stains out of a battlemat

[CRGreathouse]

I've previously used paint thinner to get out permenant marker. But it might not be that good for gridlines...

I've removed gridlines like that, just as easily as the marker. If you really need it off, it works -- but otherwise, I'd avoid it.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Simple Green works okay though if you rub too hard it will take the grid off too. A Chlorox Bleach Pen might be a good idea since you can carefully put the bleach where you need it and avoid the grid lines.

 

[billd91]

No one's mentioned it yet - just another idea, but hairspray will take ink stains off of leather. I guess if I got desperate I might try it on a battlemap.

Red isn't the only color that can stain. Marks left a long time (like for a few weeks or more for long times adventuring in the same general area) can stain too.
And hairspray worked brilliantly on my Chessex battle mats.

 

[D+1]

Something VERY important to remember in the process of purchasing all these cleaning products, chemicals, and household compounds - at some point, very quickly, you WILL exceed the cost of simply buying a new battlemat. Don't fail to see the forest for the trees. Just buying a couple different bottles and cans of household cleaners at $5 a pop trying to CLEAN a mat with really bad stains will simply be money that could have been BETTER spent toward a NEW mat.

I've used Chessex megamats for years now using vis-a-vis overhead projector pens almost exclusively (every time we use something else stains are worse). Red is the worst offending color for staining, though sometimes green and blue can be almost as bad. Generally we only get "staining" by leaving it on the mat for a week or more instead of wiping it off. BUT, time and repeated wiping with water simply in the normal course of continued use gets rid of them.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I'll second what sevreal others have said--I've been extremely happy with my Vis-a-Vis markers, and even red left on my chessex mat for a day or two comes off pretty easily. Good luck in cleaning the mat off, but don't waste too much money on supplies if you could just as easily buy a new battlemat.

 

[Romnipotent]

Who said buy these things, many are hosehold chems, or that odd guy up the road with goof off

 

[Greylock]

Anyone game enough to try my exeptionally simple solution I gave above yet?

Doesn't even require common household chemicals, other than what you already have close at hand. A dry-erase pen.

 

[Brain]

Cover the marks you want to remove with an ink you are already certain is eraseable. Let it sit for a few minutes. Wipe away.

Doesn't even require common household chemicals, other than what you already have close at hand. A dry-erase pen.

Dry-erase is bad for battlemats. You mean wet-erase, right?

 

[MonkeyDragon]

My mat is the same vinyl as a chessex, but i drew the lines myself, so when I clean it, I have to make sure NOT to take off the sharpie. Red never touches my mat, but my blue Lumocolor marker is my trusted friend.

I do, however, wind up with a thin layer of blue all over it, though, after I do a lot of marking and wiping. Windex multisurface took off even residue I couldn't see. But it's a vinegar formula, and if you've tried that already, you might have limited success.

As far as those suggesting buying a new mat, my two cent are: don't underestimate the goodness of making your own. My mat is a full 36x45(at least) inches, and it only cost me five bucks, plus the price of a new sharpie and an hour with a yardstick.

 

[Ghendor]

I have had one particular Chessex Battlemat since 1989 and I have always used a Vis-a-Vis Overhead Projector Marker without any issues whatsoever. About a year ago when trying to replace my depleted Vis-a-Vis marker (the store didn't have any at the time) I bought a Sanford Expo 2 Dry Erase marker thinking it would function the same... it did not! So the stains on from that marker have been sitting on that mat for about a year until just today, after reading this thread, I thought I'd try a couple options to get my old mat clean. I used a combination of Goo Gone Spray Gel and De-Solv-it!. It took a little scrubbing but it all came up quite nicely in the end. I used a little Windex followed by some water to get any excess chemicals off the mat once marks were gone. Cheers!