How To Clean A Letter Board To Keep It In Good Shape

People have letter boards in their houses for all sorts of reasons. Since you can arrange letters on the felt, you can swap out the signage whenever you get bored with it. Maybe you have one hung up as a way to customize your bedroom; maybe you have one up in your laundry room with a cheeky quip, reminding the household that it's filled with "endless love and laundry." Or maybe you use it for photos, ranging from holiday cards to your kids' milestones. Whatever the reason, there is one thing for certain: The sign needs a good cleaning once in a while. But since the boards are made out of felt, it's not as simple as wiping it down with some all-purpose cleaner. Instead, you can keep it in tip-top shape with a lint roller.

This laundry staple will be able to remove dust and debris easily with its sticky tape, leaving the surface of your board smooth and clean. And since many people already have a lint roller in their homes, you probably won't have to run out to the store to get a specialty item. Provided you aren't dealing with deeper stains on your letter board, all you need to do is find a fresh section on your lint roller and get to cleaning.

Regardless of the size of your letter board, cleaning it will be easier if you use a smaller lint roller. This will allow you to more easily maneuver into the corners and around the edges to pick up any dust that might have gotten pushed into the crevices. To clean the surface, simply take your roller and slowly move it up and down the length of the board. Once the roller gets covered in dust and debris and loses its tackiness, rip off the old sheet to reveal a fresh one and continue with the process.

For those who are trying to cultivate less waste in their cleaning routines and make their homes more eco-friendly, you can achieve the same results with a nylon lint roller. This product works the same as its sticky tape counterpart in that it will pick up everything from dust to lint to pet hair, but it uses densely compacted bristles instead of tape. At the end of your chore, you simply remove the debris from inside the brush and toss it into the trash. A highly rated variety to try is the ChomChom Roller, which you can get on Amazon for $32.

What if you haven't cleaned your letter board since you bought it? If your sign is getting seriously grimy and a simple lint roller wipe-down won't be able to get it looking like new again, then there are several other methods you can try. First, use the lint roller to remove the surface dust and debris. Then, for stubborn dust and dirt that has landed in the grooves of the board where the letters go, use the crevice tool on your vacuum to remove the accumulated buildup. 

If you have any rogue stains on the board, you can clean them with a damp cloth. Dip the cloth into cold water mixed with a gentle detergent such as Woolite — using a mild soap ensures you won't damage the delicate fabric. Make sure you squeeze out any excess water so it's damp and not wet since water can damage the material. Then pat (don't rub!) the stain. Once it's removed, pat the area dry with a clean, dry cloth to soak up excess liquid; after some further air-drying time to make sure your board is completely moisture-free, your board will be ready for whatever new messages or customizations you can imagine.