How to Remove Stubborn Wax From Your Menorah

Menorahs, beautiful as they are, have a tendency to get covered in dripping wax over the course of eight nights. Luckily, cleaning them is no different than getting wax off of any other candle holder or jar, and it’s easy to do. Plus, if you save the e…

Menorahs, beautiful as they are, have a tendency to get covered in dripping wax over the course of eight nights. Luckily, cleaning them is no different than getting wax off of any other candle holder or jar, and it’s easy to do. Plus, if you save the extra wax that comes off, you can melt it back down to make new candles.

Before you try any of the below methods, you should try to break off any large chunks of wax from the menorah with something non-abrasive, like a plastic credit card, your fingers, or a spatula, and you can get into the little wells where the candles sit with a chopstick. Be mindful during this step, as most menorahs are made from metal, ceramic, or stone, and can easily get scratched.

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Our Favorite Warm, Cozy, Holly (& Jolly) Christmas Traditions

It’s not the bottle brush trees (though they are cute), the glazed ham (though it is tasty), or Mariah Carey (though she is talented) that make Christmas far and away a favorite holiday. It’s not even the hot chocolate (yum) or the presents (it is nice…

It’s not the bottle brush trees (though they are cute), the glazed ham (though it is tasty), or Mariah Carey (though she is talented) that make Christmas far and away a favorite holiday. It’s not even the hot chocolate (yum) or the presents (it is nice to be thought of)—it’s the traditions we do year after year.

If you ask anyone who celebrates Christmas about their favorite part of the holiday, I’ll bet nine times out of 10 they answer with a tradition they’ve done for many years with their families and loved ones. It might actually include decorating with bottle brush trees or making hot chocolate, but it’s the people you do it with—and the anticipation of repeating it each year—that make these Christmas traditions truly special.

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The Internet’s Favorite Grandmother on Her 10-Year-Old Meat Thermometer

Welcome to Playing Favorites, a new monthly series that puts our most beloved tools and gadgets front and center. Check in each month as our favorite cooks, authors, designers, and experts share what they reach for over and over again. From the dust-bu…

Welcome to Playing Favorites, a new monthly series that puts our most beloved tools and gadgets front and center. Check in each month as our favorite cooks, authors, designers, and experts share what they reach for over and over again. From the dust-buster that misses nothing to the blender that tackles anything and the packing cubes that make travel a cinch, it’s the one time when playing favorites is a good thing.


Almost half a century later, Barbara “Babs” Costello still remembers being so embarrassed about serving undercooked oven-fried chicken to her cousin at a dinner party. “I thought the chicken looked totally done,” says the social media personality, viral TikTok star, and now author of Celebrate with Babs: Holiday Recipes & Family Traditions. “We took our knives and dug in, but the pieces in the center were red, almost blood red, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, stop eating!’ I was so worried about food poisoning, it was not good. It went back in for 15-20 mins and we tried it again.”

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Why You Should Switch to Bar Soap for… Everything

Have you ever considered using a bar of soap to wash your hair? Treat laundry stains? Scrub your dishes or give your dog a bath? No? You should.

With the rise in concern over plastic consumption, bar soaps are becoming an excellent—and accessible—alte…

Have you ever considered using a bar of soap to wash your hair? Treat laundry stains? Scrub your dishes or give your dog a bath? No? You should.

With the rise in concern over plastic consumption, bar soaps are becoming an excellent—and accessible—alternative to liquid bath and body products. But substituting your daily face wash or hand soap is just the beginning. A simple concentrated bar soap can replace everything from shaving cream to an exfoliator and even—if you dare—toothpaste

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How to Remove Sticky, Clingy Tree Sap From Your Clothes

If you like to camp, hike, or bring home a Christmas tree during the December season, then you know the sinking, pit-in-your-stomach feeling of realizing you’ve sat in or leaned against sap. At first, it might not register. There are a lot of sticky el…

If you like to camp, hike, or bring home a Christmas tree during the December season, then you know the sinking, pit-in-your-stomach feeling of realizing you’ve sat in or leaned against sap. At first, it might not register. There are a lot of sticky elements in the great outdoors and not all of them are as lethal to your favorite quarter-zip fleece as sap often is. Though once you’ve become conscious of the fact that you’ve managed to get sugary tree excrement on your beloved leggings, the heart-wrenching sensation is unmatched.

But what if we told you that you’d never have to experience that pain again? That you’d never have to discard another contaminated puffer jacket? Well, that is, in fact, what we’re here to say. We’ve scoured the internet for every sap-eliminating tip and trick in the book, so you have multiple methods at your disposal the next time your garments come in contact with this dreaded natural adhesive. From expected remedies like stain remover to avant-garde options like peanut butter, here is how to get tree sap out of your clothes.

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3 Ways to Remove Pesky Heat Stains from Wood Furniture

Hosting season is upon us, and as fun as it can be to have your house act as the hub of all holiday commotion and gathering, it does come with a few perils, too—mainly for your furniture and decor. From Aunt Jean spilling her wine on your brand new rug…

Hosting season is upon us, and as fun as it can be to have your house act as the hub of all holiday commotion and gathering, it does come with a few perils, too—mainly for your furniture and decor. From Aunt Jean spilling her wine on your brand new rug (ugh!) to your favorite platter meeting an untimely death at the hands of a “helpful” kiddo, it’s not uncommon to head into January with a few bumps and bruises around your house from all the entertaining you’ve done.

One of the most annoying? Heat stains on your wood furniture. Here’s how it happens: As sides are passed around at dinner, they’re often set down on the bare wood of your table without a second thought—even if you had good intentions and paired them with a stylish trivet at the start. Tablecloths are great, but most are thin and can’t protect your beloved mahogany dining table from the damage caused by a steaming ceramic dish filled with green bean casserole. The next thing you know, you’re cleaning up post-party only to spot numerous crop circle-like stains on the surface of your wood. The culprit? Heat.

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19 Decor Gifts for That Someone Who Just Can’t Stop Redecorating

You know that friend or relative who’s constantly talking about needing to redecorate? Maybe they’re pinning ideas with reckless abandon while giving you the play-by-play, or constantly discussing color palettes, fabric swatches, and throw pillows, but…

You know that friend or relative who’s constantly talking about needing to redecorate? Maybe they’re pinning ideas with reckless abandon while giving you the play-by-play, or constantly discussing color palettes, fabric swatches, and throw pillows, but haven’t yet acted on any of it. Well, this gift guide is for them.

Each of these pieces—from a handwoven, fiber-art wall hanging to a backgammon set that doubles as a cool coffee table accent—will elevate a room instantly and might even kickstart their revamp. Just wait—you’ll be kicking back in their newly decorated space soon enough.

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A Vintage-Filled Home in Hong Kong, Dressed for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays is a special series featuring our favorite food and home experts and their diverse homes—and holidays—from around the world. From Los Angeles to Mumbai and Hong Kong, we get a peek at how each family approaches the most special of…

Home for the Holidays is a special series featuring our favorite food and home experts and their diverse homes—and holidays—from around the world. From Los Angeles to Mumbai and Hong Kong, we get a peek at how each family approaches the most special of seasons—in a way that’s uniquely theirs.


The holidays permit Food52 Resident—and conjurer of community favorites like this recipe for an instant dan dan noodle mix and this one for the flakiest pastryMandy Lee, to make one important concession at home: she allows help. While cooking for Mandy is a fiercely guarded solitary sport, bringing the holidays to her home lets her drop her guard. “I don't even mind delegating or outsourcing some of the process—although my husband might disagree.”

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21 Useful Gifts That Won’t Add Clutter, Courtesy the Afrominimalist

Having spent the past five years on a journey to live with less, I’ve become more mindful of what I gift to my family and friends. I always like to challenge myself to be creative, innovative, sustainable, and thoughtful, and it’s no different during t…

Having spent the past five years on a journey to live with less, I've become more mindful of what I gift to my family and friends. I always like to challenge myself to be creative, innovative, sustainable, and thoughtful, and it's no different during the holidays.

One of my favorite ways to tick all the boxes when it comes to gifting is to ask loved ones how they want to be celebrated instead of buying something that I think they'll enjoy. Even if you’re big on the element of surprise, consider asking for a curated list of gifts or experiences that you can use as a guide. Not only will they be curious and anxious about what you chose, but they'll be touched by the thoughtfulness and intention behind it.

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All My Bookcases Failed Me—Then I Found This IKEA Hack

Like many people, the first bookcase I ever bought was IKEA’s Billy bookcase. Affordable and simple to assemble, my Billy lasted for a few years before starting to look worse for wear (and eventually falling apart). When I moved to my current apartment…

Like many people, the first bookcase I ever bought was IKEA’s Billy bookcase. Affordable and simple to assemble, my Billy lasted for a few years before starting to look worse for wear (and eventually falling apart). When I moved to my current apartment almost seven years ago, I bought a new IKEA bookcase that I thought was my library's soulmate: the 35-inch Hemnes bookcase. It was sturdier than the Billy, made of solid pine instead of particle board, and still very affordable. (I loved Hemnes so much that I even wrote about how great it is!)

The old bookcase Photo by Weston Wells
Supported by a... soup can. Photo by Laura Fenton

However, my husband and I are serious book lovers and over the years, even Hemnes didn’t hold up to the weight of our collection. I learned that not all solid wood is created equal: Pine is particularly soft, so the peg holes for the shelf supports eventually stretched so that the shelves got wobbly. Then, earlier this year, the bottom rung of our shelf split in two. (Readers: Don’t blame IKEA, it’s my fault, we crammed those books in and even loaded them up on top.) I ended up propping the whole thing up with... a can of soup. It was time to find a new bookcase, and I swore that I wouldn’t buy another IKEA bookcase.

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