C started an Alex & Ani collection for me about a year ago, and every now and then he surprises me with a new one. I love that each bracelet comes with a special meaning; everyone’s stack tells a little story about who they are. After several months of daily wear, my brass Alex & Ani bracelets started to tarnish and leave black marks on my wrist. I was super bummed and thought they were ruined, until I learned this simple trick from a friend on Facebook. You’re going to need some ketchup. If you don’t have any in the fridge, take this opportunity to make a trip to Chik-fil-A for waffle fries and pick up a pack or two. I mean, any excuse for waffle fries is a good excuse, amiright? Cover each brass bracelet in a thin layer of ketchup, and let them sit for a minute or two on a clean cloth. Then, using another clean cloth, carefully wipe it all off. Quickly run the bracelets under warm water to remove any remaining ketchup and dry them completely, and voilá! Good as new. Update: Use this trick sparingly and pay close attention to your pieces as you clean them. While ketchup is an effective brass polisher, Alex & Ani sent me a friendly tweet to warn that it could damage the finish. So exercise a little caution. :)

@keira_lennox we admire your creativity Keira, but be careful as the ketchup can actually remove the finish http://t.co/LiD3sUhmV9.

— Alex and Ani (@alexandani) July 11, 2014