Removing wax from needlepoint is much like removing it from linens. You will need white paper towels, an iron, and a white washcloth. You may also need a long extension cord. If possible, put the kneeler or cushion on a table to make the job easier on your back.
The best paper towels for the job are the thickest, most expensive you can find. Don’t try to save on the cost of a roll of paper towels by using brown paper bags—the towels are far more absorbent and it is much easier to see if the wax is being wicked up.
If your kneelers are padded with something other than natural rubber, you will also need lighter fluid. Natural rubber is surprisingly heavy and extremely firm to kneel on, about like kneeling on box springs. If your kneelers meet this criteria, don’t use lighter fluid, as it can dissolve the rubber. It is very unlikely that the needlepoint cushions or chair seats and backs are padded with rubber.
New wax spots are white, old ones can be black, the rest may be any shade of gray in between. You can determine if a spot is wax by scratching it with your fingernail; it will glide right over wax. Look closely for tiny little drips as well as large ones.
• Preheat the iron to one mark warmer than wool.
• Working around the edge of the paper towel, put it over the spot, put the tip of the iron on it, and hold it there for at least five seconds. Very little pressure is needed, as it is heat that does the job.
• If the towel shows anything at all, move to a clean area of the towel and repeat until no more wax is transferred.
• If there still is a spot on the needlepoint, put a few drops of lighter fluid on the washcloth stretched over your finger, and rub the spot in the direction of the stitching.
• Keep shifting to a clean area of the washcloth until you can’t pick up any more of the spot.
• If the kneelers have rubber padding, the best you can do is use water on the washcloth, which is good for some spots, but will not remove wax residue.
• If there still are noticeable spots after this, talk to your local needlepoint shop or call me about refinishing the piece.
• NEVER take needlepoint to a dry cleaner—blessedly, most reputable shops won’t touch it.
Bid Drake is internationally known as an ecclesiastical needlepoint specialist, and wrote the "Guide to Church Needlepoint Care and Maintenance". She belongs to the Altar Guild at St. James the Apostle in Conroe, Texas, the Vergers’ Guild, and NAGA as well as being an advertiser in Epistle.
