There is a theory that if you have less dishes you do less washing up. I’m not sure that is true but I do know that I generally don’t need more than 6 plates. I can always get paper plates (which my compost bin will love) if I have a party or a barbeque.

I am drawn towards vintage crockery, it is one of the things I love in life but sometimes I have to go through my collection and work out if it’s really needed and liked. It’s really easy to hold onto things just because they are part of a set, even if they are broken and useless. It’s sometimes worth looking at ebay for replacements if you have a nice set.

Ask yourself:

• Are they cracked?
• Are they chipped?
• Are they ugly?
• Are they so delicate I never use them?

With crockery ask yourself:

• Do I have loads of them?
• Does it work (bendy forks are a waste of time!)
• Do I like it?
• Do I mind that it’s difficult to clean?

Other things to look out for:

• Are your knives all worth keeping? Are some bendy and blunt?
• How many mugs do you need? Can you get rid of some that are chipped or cracked or just plain ugly?
• Do you bake a lot? If so, are all your baking trays usable or have some rusted too much?
• If you don’t bake much do you need all those tins?
• How many wooden spoons and spatulas do you actually use and need?

If you are not sure about parting with something put it in a different box and remove it from the kitchen for a month or so. If you miss it, let it back, if you don’t miss it then you can say goodbye.

If you want a list of ideas for places to take mugs then this blog post is perfect for you.

Happy decluttering!

Focus on the kitchen

If you want a whole 5 days of decluttering prompts and instructions in one easy to find place I’ve made you a book!

Want to talk about it?

I'm Lisa Cole. I'm a designer and writer who lives in Bristol. Less-stuff is about my journey to live a more organised life. I document little things I can change to live more sustainably. I'm not a minimalist!

If you found this post interesting and want to discuss it you can find me in the less-stuff Facebook group or you can Tweet me here.

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