The Nasty Reason You Should Throw Out All Your Cracked Dishes

It's highly likely that if you check your kitchen, you'll find a cracked plate or a chipped mug in there. You probably still use them, too. Life happens, and whether you're prone to dropping things or just have a habit of loading the dishwasher incorrectly, it's easy to end up with damaged dishes. 

Here's the thing — from a safety perspective, you should be throwing any cracked dishes or mugs out, or at the very least, not eating or drinking from them. This is because cracks and chips are a great place for potentially harmful bacteria to thrive, and these small crevices are almost impossible to properly wash.

Every time you eat off of your damaged dish, there's a chance you're ingesting this bacteria. What's worse is the more you use a chipped or cracked dish, the more damaged it tends to get, giving the bacteria more room for growth. And, once a dish is damaged, there's a higher likelihood of the dish breaking on you completely. Even if it doesn't break, there's a decent chance of injuring yourself on a chipped dish or mug. Thanks to all these risks, continuing to use a cracked dish or mug just isn't worth it.

Cracked dishes and mugs are more prone to shattering if filled with something hot, such as a stew, which sounds like quite the safety hazard to us. Damaged dishes also tend to be less effective, so if you keep using a cracked mug or dish, it won't keep your hot drinks or food as warm as before. There's also a chance that your cracked dishes will start to leak, which is far from ideal. Let's be honest, these dishes are also not the best to look at. Even if you're personally unbothered by the aesthetics, your guests definitely won't be offering to do the dishes after dinner.

If you don't want to safely dispose of cracked or chipped dishes, there are a few ways you can use them for purposes other than eating or drinking. Turn bowls or plates into a jewelry or key holder, or cups into a pen holder. You can also repurpose your dishes into a new planter for any smaller plants, like herbs or succulents. For those who want to get more creative, you can (carefully) break your cracked dish and use the small pieces to make some mosaic art.