I probably ruined my battlemat!

[TarionzCousin]

If you used red marker, maybe. since red is the worst.

...or blue, green, or black.



I've found with my wet-erase battlemat, every color remains partly visible forever--even when washed off with water/alcohol/simple green/other within an hour of the session's end.

 

[SavageRobby]

Interesting. I've used the normal spray erase stuff for dry erase boards on my chessex mats, and it works really well. Cleans it off pretty thoroughly.

 

[werk]

Interesting. I've used the normal spray erase stuff for dry erase boards on my chessex mats, and it works really well. Cleans it off pretty thoroughly.

I think that is alcohol. Same with hairspray.

To the OP, I'd say try some alcohol (isopropyl, not tequila) and hit it with some armor-all when you are done to help with cleaning in the future. After you clean the mat with a harsh cleaner it is fairly pourous and the color can bond more easily. the armor-all will protect and seal the mat.

I've been using mine for 3+ years, no complaints yet.

 

[MarauderX]

See if you can find some Tact-tiles. I draw maps ahead of time and sometimes they aren't used for 3 months, but I can still take off the marker with a little effort.

Or run out to a print shop (like kinkos) and print out a dozen of each in a 1" grid on regular paper: 36"x48", 30"x42", 24"x36". They are all standard sizes, and everyone with a pen, pencil & marker can draw on it (useful for area of effect spells where players can mark with their own colors). The sizes allow for ease of fitting on a table with books, etc. You can mark out specific dungeons, terrain, and encounter locations in advance. With a ruler and a thick marker you can draw what the characters see as they venture into a dungeon, and you don't have to work about smudging the work.

If the battle needs to be saved, just draw where everyone was at, and write the names down. You can even keep initiative & spell durations in empty space on the side. Once you are done with it you can keep it or recycle it. I try to keep mine as the characters have a habit of revisiting places and seeing the scares of past battles on the site. Plus it lets them know that whereever they are is a potential encounter... even places visited in the past.

 

[Transit]

Re-drawing over the lines with the same wet erase markers can sometimes "soften" the old ink, making it easier to clean. Then use automotive vinyl upholstry cleaner available at auto parts stores. (3M makes a good one, I'm sure there are other brands. There also used to be a product called "The Tannery" made for cleaning vinyl and leather, but I don't know if it's still available.)

On the other hand, if it looked really good, you could just frame it and hang it on the wall.

 

[Greatwyrm]

Others have already suggested Simple Green and weak solutions of alcohol. The only one I'd add is the household cleaner Fantastic. I've not used it myself for this, but it's been recommended to me by others.

Whatever you do, don't start in the middle. Try whatever you're using on a Q-tip out at a corner. Rub it around a little, wipe it down, and see what you've got. If it ain't working, try something else. If whatever you try just ends up spreading it around and making it worse, it's better to have a little smudge at the edge than a big honkin' mess in the middle.

 

[the black knight]

Just keep running the same scenario over and over again.



Welcome to Hell.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

At leas it does not look like a certain part of the male body that got stuck on there. Really happened to one group's mat that I was in. It was supposed to be a fallen tree.

 

[Pbartender]

Don't throw your battle mat away.

We use a Chessex Megamat with Staedtler wet erase markers. Occasionally, when marker has been left on for a week or two, they don't erase all the way, but... Eventually the lines fade, and it's not a real problem any more.

 

[isoChron]

Expose the cleaned map a day to the sunlight (UV-light). This helps fading red lines to nearly invisibility.