So my kids (ages 6 and 4) have this write-on, wipe-off white board that they color on. We like it because it doesn't spread paper all over the house. They like it because it's easy to color on.

But, over time, it gets stained. The white isn't as white as when we first bought it. And when the youngest accidentally colored on it with permanent markers (Sharpies), we figured it was toast.

Then we found a magic ingredient. Two of them, actually.

First, the permanent marker. Our oldest discovered that it will come off if you color over it with dry erase markers (the correct kind of marker to use with a white board). It works great -- just color over the permanent marker with the dry erase, then clean both off with a little windex. No scrubbing; we like that.

Second, the stains. We discovered that shaving cream lightens up the board like magic. My kids are learning to help clean the house and I give them shaving cream instead of my usual chemical cleansers - safer in case they decide to eat it. Works great on sinks, counters, tables, veneer, plastic toys, linoleum; anything non-permeable. The shaving cream also cleans the white board beautifully.

And, yeah, the plain old shaving cream you can buy at the Dollar Store is good enough for cleaning.

So we don't have to buy a new white board. Yea!