Get a streaky mess when you try to write with your Universal® Pen Style Dry Erase Marker UNV43671? Time for a new pack. But while you wait the day or two for your new markers to arrive, there are a couple things you can do to eke out a little extra life.
1. Revive your dry erase markers by flipping the tip.
You can revive your Universal Dry erase markers by disassembling the body and flipping the tip. Here’s how you do it:
- Take apart the marker barrel and remove the ink cartridge.
- Use a pair of tweezers or needle nosed pliers to pull the the tip out from the head of the marker.
- Reinsert the felt tip into the head, then reassemble the rest of the marker.
Voila! Now your dry erase marker is [almost] as good as new.
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2. Soak your dry erase markers in water
Another way you can revive your dried out dry erase markers is giving them a bath. We’ve talked about how hot water works to revive dried out pens. The concept is just the same for dried out dry erase markers.
- Pour a cup of hot water in a bowl you don’t mind potentially staining.
- Place your dried out dry erase markers in the bowl tip first and let them set for about five minutes.
- Remove your markers and place them uncapped on a dry towel for 24 hours.
Presto, chango, your markers should work just fine for a little while longer.
Remember, the #1 way to keep your Universal Dry Erase Markers from drying out in the first place in store them with the caps on. It also helps to store them standing in a pencil cup with the nib side down. That way, you corral gravity into helping you preserve your markers.
Got a tip for reviving dried out Universal Dry Erase Markers? Post your suggestions in the comments.
Source: TheKrazyCouponLady.com, Lifehacker.com
72 comments on “2 Ways to Revive Dried Out Universal Dry Erase Markers UNV43671”
method two didnt do anything. in fact a barely living marker became fully dried and dead.
And that, Mr. Mcgee, is exactly the same result I got. Thank tech that our children will probably not trifle with such things, as the future is digital.
me too! actually, it died in a few seconds, not even 1 min. passed when it died
Opps!?
THIS SO WORKS. THE PERSON WHO SAID USE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE SWING MARK OVR HEAD. It dripped all OVER my white board. Bought markers at office max some worked some didnt. I suggest do not take cap off for a marker that is half way working so it wont leak on clothing etc. GREST TIP!!!!!!!!
⬆️ This! Be careful removing the cap after. It was dripping with ink. Plus, my Expo’s cap had small manufactured holes in the cap (?) so be careful where you do it so it doesn’t run all over.
I am left-handed, so I spend half my time using a whiteboard writing, while the rest get spent erasing and correcting, correcting and erasing. The effort is really an exercise in futility, and it extends to chalk on chalkboard. Writing with a pencil turns the edge of my hand and pinky finger dark gray.
Kids need to trifle with such things. The Digital Age could be set back at any given moment. A massive solar flare, an EMP blast, would send us back to using chalk on slate boards.
Furthermore, we cannot afford for kids and teachers to be so lazy that we neglect basic handwriting skills, which is an art in itself. Every person has a unique style of penmanship. I can recognize who has penned a letter, and sometimes even their mood when writing.
I agree, and well put!
Best humor ever and literally laughed!!! I’m south-pawed too! What a joke!
Warm a talk shot glass of vodka in microwave for thirty seconds.
Stand the uncapped dry erase marker in the glass for 3-5 minutes.
Using pliers, gently twist and flip tip over.
PRESTO!
Your pen has been REVIVED!
DISPOSE OF ANY REMAINING VODKA. It's been tainted with isopropyl alcohol. DO NOT DRINK!
how did you find this out
fr you good my dude? lmao and at 6:15am
Soak your pen in rubbing alcohol. 5 min and presto, tip is now working!!
are you sure
I killed mine by soaking them in alcohol
I completely killed mine by soaking it in spirit
Thanks, I’ll definitly try
Rubbing alcohol works. I have had success by the following:
1. Find a dried out marker with a tight fitting cap on the pen tip side (that is source of the problem with short life spans.)
2. With needle-nose pliers, carefully remove the cap on the non-tip side. Requires a little finesse as it is a tight fit, but it is easy to remove.
3. Pour a few milliliters into the inside of the capped pen. Hold it vertically with the non-tip, open side up.
4. Replace the non-tip cap
There will be some leakage, but it revives the dead pens.
I’ll make a video someday, as it works so well and I have many tens of dried out markers
footnote: start with a milliliter or less of alcohol.
Just found out if too much alcohol is put back into the pen, it runs like a major leak.
Not surprised, as these types of pens are alcohol/solvent based not water. You’d do better with maybe mentholated spirits or acetone, something along those lines & taking the appropriate care, of course.
Mentholated? Did you mean methylated, as in methyl alcohol, or denatured alcohol?
Going to try alcohol and acetone if I can get non tip end cap off. Report back.
Acetone, although it may work to revive the pen, may damage the surface of the whiteboard, depending on how it is made.
How do I fix a dry erase marker that has darker marker colors stained on it?
1. take apart the marker barrel
2. Use a tweezer/needle nose pliar to pull the tip out
3. Turn the tip to the other side
4. Reassemble with the new tip on the outside ready for use!
Worked for me thank you so much!! It wont last forever for me as the entire ink cartridge in the marker is dried out but i flipped the tip and it has a different tip now but works like brand new!
Yes definitely this works! I thought I had something new, until I saw your post.
This has worked great. Also remember a loosely fitting cap is usually the reason why the markers dry out early.
I have been using a layer of tape wrapped around the plastic part near the tip, to provide a tighter (air tight) fit for the cap.
I’ve had luck just wiping it with paper towels. Maybe alcohol if stubborn.
Using a small sharp pair of scissors, snip off thecstained part. Then use your scissors to make the point the way it should be.
My dry erase pens are only two weeks old and I only used one, one time. They are already dried out. Three were never even opened. All were stored nib side down and closed. Any ideas?
I'd take them back to the retailer, probably defective from the beginning.
You’re the wine lady
If I own a product 2 weeks, use once and it stops working…. I take it back to the store.
I'll leave with a refund or exchange- one or the other
Wikipedia had an awesome simple trick that really works!
-Take long piece of string or yarn ,about 2ft. in length, and tie one end around your marker towards the back end.
* make sure to tape it down so the marker won't fly off and it something or somebody.
* also make sure the marker cap is on securely as this could cause ink to splatter if it's not.
– Then hold it above your head and swing it around like a lasso for about 1 to 2 minutes.
– Then take off the cap and write.
Gravity and force do all the work here! It's so cool! The gravity and force pushes the ink from back to front.
* make sure that the cap on the marker is face out
This is the best idea I've heard yey…Makes sense…Thanks for sharing…
Wow! It works just fine. Just do not make the mistake I made Try this outside away from things that can get ink spots .
Centrifugal force, not gravity.
*centripetal
Jeff was half drunk while typing, Please excuse his typo Sally
Actually, the marker being spun would be subject to centripetal forces in order to keep it continuously on it’s curved trajectory.
As centrifugal force is defined by an “apparent force” not an real force, the result of the ink being encouraged to move toward the from of the pen would be described as centrifugal since it’s movement and reaction are seen as a result of a perceived change.
Incidentally, the marker would exert a centrifugal force on the string too.
Either way, none of these forces are the result of gravity.
Class is dismissed for the evening.
To Professor Mike: The centripetal “force” is provided by the string – it keeps the marker from flying away in a straight line. The angular momentum imparted to the pen moves any liquid in the pen away from the center of rotation, hence it is centrifugal (Latin for “run away from the middle”) force. Actually not a true force, but neither is gravity…
This one works perfectly!
I just move it fast with my fingers but be careful because a lot of ink came out.
Thank you!
OMG this works. At first I thought you were a troll trying to make us do something dumb but yes it works and yes ink splattered all over me. So be careful.
This works like a charm. I just did it to all of my dry erase markers (would have been fun to explain why I was spinning my markers around on a string if anyone had walked in on me, lol) and they all write now! Like everyone else says, make sure the cap on or things could get messy. I opened up one to test after spinning and some ink dribbled out. Thanks!!
I couldn’t find string and wrapped a resistance band around the marker. No need for tape and worked great as well! Thanks for the tip!
Put a marker in the fingers of latex gloves and spun them around. 5 markers get done at a time.
Genius! Glove is a mess, but still genius. Thanks!
& Heather, +1 @ the fun part 😀
Imma go try with my gel pens that have air bubbles too. Lassoed glove during the lockdown is fairly ironic. The things we will do to entertain ourselves . . .
OMG, THIS ACTUALLY WORKS…I used an elastic band wrapped around the base of the pen, swung it only for like 30 seconds (with the cap on)…and the ink just gushed out! Now, my classroom looks like a murder scene (but all in blue)…but THANK YOU for the tip.
hahahaha
You made me laugh out loud thank you!
This worked great! Thanks!
I'd take them back to the retailer, probably defective from the beginning.
how do you make fix a dry erase marker .
Go to Google and type in how to revive an expo marker then hit search or enter.
Scroll a little down there should be a Wikipedia link description. Click it then scroll down to where it says how to revive dry erase markers. The one with the string and swinging it like a lasso trick really works
Do you leave the marker uncapped or capped in the warm water?
Uncapped in the warm water. Good luck, Gianni!
Try the lasso trick from Wikipedia. It really works!
I found it on "wikihow.com". The title I think is how to revive dried out markers. You will have to scroll down past the water based markers first.
That's great to know! Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!
Holy cow. Perhaps the author confused dry erase markers with washable markers?
Unlike the author, most of us have noticed that dry erase markers have a distinct solvent scent. Armed with a nose, it takes nearly zero deductive skills to conclude that a solvent, not water, is s realistic cure for "the four year olds left the caps off the dry erase markers again."
A quick internet search and two minutes of reading yielded a solvent mixture used in many dry erase markers. I did not bother looking for the proportions actually used, but am certain that a 1:1 combination of isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol 40 (denatured ethyl alcohol) will perform better than diluting any remaining alcohol with water.
Having identified a solvent, there's a couple more things to consider. First, using too much solvent could prove troublesome as it'll both over dilute the pigment and allow dripping from the tip. Second, applying the solvent to the tip of the marker will rinse the pigment into the marker, this leaving a hydrated marker that will not write.
If possible, remove the back plug of the marker to add a few milliliters of solvent, then put the plug back in.
If enough solvent was used, the marker will be writing fine in a few minutes.
This can be sped up by slinging the ink toward the tip, but that can be very messy if too much solvent was used.
If the plug cannot be removed, the solvent mixture can be added from the tip, but it will take a much longer time for the pigment to homogenize in the reservoir and tip. This can be sped up by using the sling technique described by the author, except that one must sling the solvent toward the bottom of the marker, not the tip. Do that a few times, allowing a few minutes between each slinging so the solvent and pigment can wick back toward the tip and mix.
Use strong alcohol that is 90% or greater. A single alcohol may also work well, but the marker could dry out faster. This cure also works for permanent markers.
Little tip i developed when my kids were leaving lids off. I asked a diabetic friend for a syringe. For their water-based pens, I used water, for dry erase pens, I use whiteboard cleaner fluid, for permanent markers, I use nail polish remover.
I use pliers to remove the plug on the end, then tap that end of the barrel on the counter to bring the fiber color cartridge to where I can reach it. No sweat if it doesn't come out. This works either way. Fill the syringe with an appropriate amount of your fluid. Different amts for differing sizes… If the cartridge comes out of the barrel, I can see the progress of the fluid as it moves along (unless it is black). Take note of the amount you used in a "successful" fill, so you can do it again next time!
I carefully put away the syringe (marked "polluted") where druggies or kids can't find it.
The markers we just got are low odor. You don’t smell them at all.
You should soak the dry erase marker in the alcohol, uninterrupted, for 5 minutes.
Love to read this article. Thank you so much for sharing this post with us, It’s great 🙂
If you spray perfume on the tip, it will work again. Plus, It smells good!
Hey the lasso trick really works. I used gloves to prevent splatter.
I am trying the lasso strategy right now… Let’s see if it works for me! I really hope it works because my younger brother forgets to put the caps on all the time, and the markers dry out! 🙁
It did NOT work!!! 🙁 🙁 Idk why, tho, because I did everything you were supposed too… I put my marker in a glove, tied a piece of string to the glove, and spun it around. 🙁 I am really disappointed. Does anyone have any other simple hacks to revive an Expo? (I have a bunch of dead ones, so I’m open for lots of options)
Nobody? No? That’s a shame…
I assume by now you chucked them out. For future reference take a rubber-band and wrap it tight around the other end. Take string, or fishing line, tie it to it and swing around outside for at least a minute and check. If it isn’t good to go, do it for a couple more. If that doesn’t do it, take pliers, pull out the tip and reverse it, good to go. Make sure cap is on tight when swing and after you rejuvenate it.
The centrifugal tip worked really well after only spinning for a few seconds…excess ink in the cap! But when I tried writing with the marker, it only lasted for a split second and then I had to dip into the ink inside the cap🤔🤨 Marker is not old and hasn’t been used much…to my knowledge. 😉😆 I’ve got a 5 yr old who’s notorious for using my markers (leaving caps off, using them to draw on paper or “making juice” for her Baby Alive🙄) but has no recollection as to why it might not be working. Any ideas or suggestions as to what’s causing this problem? TIA!
Try the perfume spray. It really works, no swing, no splatter.