How to clean brass – ketchup?!

So I have a brass belt loop key holder and it was starting to loose it’s luster. I Googled “how to clean brass” and was surprised to learn that one of the recommended home remedy methods was ketchup!

Let’s give it a shot. Might be fun who knows.

To keep this scientific, here is the before photo. This is a brass key holder that I wear on my belt loop regularly.

Following the steps on the interwebs, I slathered it in ketchup. You’re supposed to let it sit for about one hour to let the natural acid in ketchup do its thing.

I was only able to really cover one side, because ketchup, so I rubbed it around with the paper towel before moving on to the next step.

The next step is to wash off the ketchup! Wipe it down and then wash the entire thing off with soap.

See, more clean. But… did the ketchup do it… or was it the soap???

Apparently you can also clean brass by soaking it in a vinegar and salt solution. I can see a hint of pink on the bottom of the last image there… is it ketchup residue or something else? Who knows.