I never knew that ‘Bar Keepers Friend‘ was a miracle when it comes to shinin’ and spiffin’ up old furniture. That was until I read a cool post about making your brass new and shiny looking over on Manhattan Nest. That blog has taught me a thing or two in my day, this was a good lesson.

First of all, I used to never care for brass or anything gold and shiny. Probably because I associated with all the gaudy 90’s decor of my childhood. I guess I got over it because these days I’m liking it, quite a bit actually. It’s showing up all over the house, and all over me. I’ve been rocking brassy earring, bracelets and zippers like nobody’s business. I’m sold on this stuff.

When we moved in 3 years ago, I picked up this vintage footstool and promptly placed it in our upstairs porch, never to be thought of again. I recently rearranged the living room furniture and brought down the footstool. Now it’s all up in my day-to-day space, and I’ve been really enjoying having it around. It makes lounging in the living room an actual thing, that happens, and satiates my hunger for a sectional sofa.

Back to the story about the brass though, I never realized that the footstool had little golden caps on the end of its slender legs until it made the move downstairs. How could I not notice brass? Well it was tarnished and very dirty, and not in a pretty patina-y way. I decided that with my new found ‘Bar Keepers Friend‘ knowledge that had been dropped on me, that I’d give those caps a little love with a quick cleaning.

In case you’ve never seen Bar Keepers Friend, this is what it looks like. It’s available at almost any hardware store. I picked it up at the grocery store last time I was out, so it shouldn’t be hard for you to come by. Also, notice how dirty those dawgs are?

5 minutes later: Sparkle, Shine, Love.

Look, you can actually tell it’s brassy, and it looks so good with my little brass flower pot (and my earrings). What can I shine up next?