diff --git a/crates/js/src/builtins.rs b/crates/js/src/builtins.rs
index 268d700..fb0ce23 100644
--- a/crates/js/src/builtins.rs
+++ b/crates/js/src/builtins.rs
@@ -3915,11 +3915,10 @@ fn init_map_set_builtins(vm: &mut Vm) {
 ///   __entries__: GcRef to an object with "0_k", "0_v", "1_k", "1_v", ...
 ///   __entry_count__: total slots allocated (some may be deleted)
 ///   __live_count__: number of non-deleted entries
-///   Deleted entries have their key set to a special "__deleted__" marker.
+///   Deleted entries have their key property removed from the entries object.
 const ENTRIES_KEY: &str = "__entries__";
 const ENTRY_COUNT_KEY: &str = "__entry_count__";
 const LIVE_COUNT_KEY: &str = "__live_count__";
-const DELETED_MARKER: &str = "__deleted__";
 
 /// Create a new empty Map/Set internal storage object.
 fn make_collection_obj(gc: &mut Gc<HeapObject>, proto: Option<GcRef>) -> GcRef {
@@ -4017,13 +4016,7 @@ fn entry_key_at(gc: &Gc<HeapObject>, entries: GcRef, i: usize) -> Option<Value>
     match gc.get(entries) {
         Some(HeapObject::Object(data)) => {
             let k = format!("{i}_k");
-            let prop = data.properties.get(&k)?;
-            if let Value::String(s) = &prop.value {
-                if s == DELETED_MARKER {
-                    return None;
-                }
-            }
-            Some(prop.value.clone())
+            data.properties.get(&k).map(|p| p.value.clone())
         }
         _ => None,
     }
@@ -4053,13 +4046,10 @@ fn set_entry_at(gc: &mut Gc<HeapObject>, entries: GcRef, i: usize, key: Value, v
     }
 }
 
-/// Mark entry at index `i` as deleted.
+/// Mark entry at index `i` as deleted by removing its key and value properties.
 fn delete_entry_at(gc: &mut Gc<HeapObject>, entries: GcRef, i: usize) {
     if let Some(HeapObject::Object(data)) = gc.get_mut(entries) {
-        data.properties.insert(
-            format!("{i}_k"),
-            Property::builtin(Value::String(DELETED_MARKER.to_string())),
-        );
+        data.properties.remove(&format!("{i}_k"));
         data.properties.remove(&format!("{i}_v"));
     }
 }