Question: Candle wax dripped onto my sofa and silk throw pillow. How can I remove it?

Answer: Candlelight can make an evening romantic or festive, but by the end of the night you may find unwelcome guests: wayward drops of melted wax on your upholstery. Don't despair, though — it is relatively easy to remove wax from washable fabrics on your own, and a professional dry-cleaner can help you with more delicate items.

If the fabric is durable, as cotton is, try to clean it yourself. First, harden the wax: Let it cool on its own or hasten the process by rubbing it with an ice cube wrapped in plastic. Once the wax is firm, remove the stained cover, and carefully scrape off as much wax as you can using your fingernail or the dull edge of a butter knife.

Then place several layers of damp paper towels on each side of the fabric, ironing over the paper on a low setting. The wax should be absorbed by the towels. Apply a fabric stain remover to eliminate any lingering residue (check for colorfastness first, then follow label instructions), and blot with clean paper towels before laundering.

If the material is fragile, do not attempt to scrape off the wax. "With silk or any other delicate fabric that has wax spots, the best thing to do is have it professionally cleaned," says Jerry Pozniak, owner of Cameo Cleaners of Gramercy Park in New York City. "Dry-cleaning solvents will dissolve the wax without damaging the material itself."

If the drippings are on a cushion or pillow cover that can't be taken off, Pozniak suggests that you ask your dry-cleaner to recommend a tailor who can carefully pull out the stuffing so the covering can be treated separately. As always, light candles only when the wick is a safe distance from flammable materials such as curtains. And before going to bed, be sure to extinguish every flame.

Question: I would like to draw a map of my flower bed. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: A garden map can be a handy tool, helping you keep track of what's been planted, as well as plan what you'd like to change.

Start by buying large sheets of graph paper. Sheets with four to eight squares per inch are ideal. Measure the perimeter of the flower bed, and plot it on the grid, letting one square represent 1 square foot of land.

If you have an unevenly shaped bed, measure the distance between the innermost and outermost points of each curve, and then plot those points on your map, connecting the dots with curved lines that echo the bed.

Once you have this silhouette, draw in each plant or mass of plants. To indicate big masses, draw their outlines and make small cross marks to illustrate the spacing of the individual plants.

If you're creating a map for a bed that includes seasonal plants, you can add overlays of vellum or tracing paper, indicating spring bulbs on one sheet, perennials on another, annuals on a third and so forth.

Color makes a map easier to read. Shade spots lightly with colored pencil to indicate foliage or bloom color. You might also use a key: For instance, place a simple designation — such as H's for Hosta sieboldiana — on the map. In the key, jot down the abbreviation, the botanical and common names, and any notes referring to flower color, height and other variables.

Question: Can you tell me about fleur de sel?

Answer: Fleur de sel means "flower of salt" in French. It is considered the finest sea salt in France, and gathering it is a time-honored practice.

When sea salt is manually harvested from salt fields, which form through the natural evaporation of seawater in the sun, the uppermost layer is gently skimmed away from the coarser, grayer salt beneath.

This pure, delicately flavored top layer is the fleur de sel. Its flakes are light, hollow and naturally moist. Fleur de sel has a fresh, complex flavor, and is best sprinkled over salads, steamed vegetables or meats, rather than as an ingredient in cooking.

View Comments

The flakes are light enough to be used straight from the jar in most cases. The salt's moisture can cause clogging or corrosion in a grinder. If you want a finer salt for table use, buy a fine variety of fleur de sel, rather than grinding it yourself.

Alternatively, buy a spice mill made especially for this purpose. Some specialty kitchen stores sell grinders with mechanisms made from ceramic or plastic rather than metal, so they will not rust and are usually easy to clean.


Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions may also be sent by electronic mail to: mslletters@marthastewart.com. Please include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column; Martha Stewart regrets that unpublished letters cannot be answered individually. For more information on the topics covered in the Ask Martha column, visit www.marthastewart.com. © Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Distributed by New York Times Special Features

Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.