Bottle washing routine

alohamel · July 2014

Hi ladies..

What is your bottle washing routine? I wash them with dapple and then put them in the sterilizer. Sometimes I think it is unnecessary...not really sure what I am "supposed" to do.

ksulli · July 2014

I have enough bottles and pump parts to last two days. We run the dish washer every other day. It does have a 'sanitize' setting for the dry time, so it's set there. Good enough.

WifeofaComposer · July 2014

We don't use bottles very often, but I sterilized them before the first use. Now on the rare occasions that I pump for DH to feed LO, I was them with a bottle scrubber used only for his bottles and I make sure the water is the hottest I can get from the tap (it's so hot I have to wear gloves), and let the components air dry. Our doctor said that's all we need to do.

ETA: I use Palmolive baby dish soap.

allyandmike24 · July 2014

Wash in hot water with Castile soap (dr bronners) and then run through the microwave in a sanitizing bag.

Cecilbear · July 2014

allyandmike24 said:
Wash in hot water with Castile soap (dr bronners) and then run through the microwave in a sanitizing bag.

Me too.

jenskurn · July 2014

allyandmike24 said:

Wash in hot water with Castile soap (dr bronners) and then run through the microwave in a sanitizing bag.

Us too, but we use Dawn. We do it once per day. We have a double-sided sink and one side is just for the day's dirty bottles. That way they aren't being mixed with other dirty dishes (not sure why that bothers me...).

Kyllarae · July 2014

KendraColeslaw said:
Soap and hot water.

Me too. I wash them every night after Eden goes to bed. Nothin fancy!

Dixon813 · July 2014

Us too, but we use Dawn. We do it once per day. We have a double-sided sink and one side is just for the day's dirty bottles. That way they aren't being mixed with other dirty dishes (not sure why that bothers me...).

-----
It bothers me too! I put bottles (and pump parts) in a big square Tupperware and wash them in that with hot water and dish soap then air dry. When I'm back to work and we're going through more bottles I'll probably end up using the dishwasher.

chichi589 · July 2014

Wash with soap & hot water, then I use the dr browns microwave sterilizer. I like to sanitize my pump parts after every use anyway so I just throw it all in together.

fourthnlast · July 2014

Dishwasher like every other dish in this house. I see no reason to complicate things.

hpanabaker · July 2014

Hot water and soap (currently sunlight). Then use our Nuby microwave sterilizer.

AmberLiz99 · July 2014

Soap and got water by hand. I only own 5 bottles (of the kind dd uses) so I'm washing at least once a day

Cecilbear · July 2014

LalaMama81 said:
Why do people sterilize everyday? I am not a fan of Putting plastic in the microwave, anyway.

It's recommended. We use glass bottles and I feel just fine microwaving them, though I also boil them sometimes instead.

rtv3 · July 2014

I only use the bottles I pump into, usually one each morning, and then very infrequently an avent bottle DD drinks if she's being babysat. I handwash them with Palmolive baby soap and hot, hot water, then let air dry. Works for us!

ambarnett1 · July 2014

Kyllarae said:

KendraColeslaw said:
Soap and hot water.
Me too. I wash them every night after Eden goes to bed. Nothin fancy!

Yup me too!

nursewinnie · July 2014

I use dawn direct foam on my bottle brush and only wash once a day at night. I manage to sterilize probably every few weeks but if I don't remember I'm not worried about it. I only made it a priority to sterilize when I first bought the bottles. I'm like pp with keeping the babies dishes in the separate sink from the other dishes and I can't figure out why I feel like I need to. I just do.

WifeofaComposer · July 2014

Also, when we do sterilize them, we have to boil or steam them in a big pot because we don't have a microwave.

katiedidthat · July 2014

My routine-
Let them sit in the sink with all the other dishes until I get around to them. Be annoyed that husband hasn't loaded dishwasher. Put the dishes in the dishwasher. Fill up one side of the sink with hot tap water and some dollar store detergent. Make an awful face at how bad the formula bottles reek after sitting in the sink for any length of time. Realize breastmilk bottles smell worse. Rinse the bottles under faucet into empty side of sink. Dump everything into the soapy water. Walk away. Come back some length of time later (a few hours, maybe bedtime). Use bottle brush and more dish liquid on each bottle. Swear because I can't find the little brush for the Dr Brown's valves. Find brush. Wash valves and nipples with soap. Rinse everything in tap water. Put on drying rack on counter. Use bottles and repeat in a few days.

I don't sterilize. Never have. I ran them through the dishwasher once and lost a nipple, so now I would rather just hand wash them. I'm the same way with my pump parts.

ksulli · July 2014

FYI the Palmolive baby dish soap is the regular stuff watered down. So long as you give it a good rinse, the 'baby' label means you pay more for them adding more water at the bottling facility.

goblue555 · July 2014

jenskurn said:

allyandmike24 said:

Wash in hot water with Castile soap (dr bronners) and then run through the microwave in a sanitizing bag.

Us too, but we use Dawn. We do it once per day. We have a double-sided sink and one side is just for the day's dirty bottles. That way they aren't being mixed with other dirty dishes (not sure why that bothers me...).

This is us too! I just sanitize the nipples though

ashcole28 · July 2014

I wash them by hand. I soap them in hot soapy water for a few then wash rinse and dry.

RocksInTheWater · July 2014

Hot, soapy water and a rinse. Sometimes the dishwasher. Every week or 2 I sanitize my pump parts and the pacifiers in the medela bags.

knotty-girl · July 2014

Dishwasher with a baby dishwasher basket for all the little parts. I'm pretty sure the dishwasher sanitizes even without the sanitize setting because the temperature gets so high. (Did anyone see that Extreme Cheapskates where the chick baked lasagna in her dishwasher while doing a load of dishes? Ew. But the point being if it's hot enough to bake a lasagna, it's hot enough to sanitize.) Either way I have a sanitize setting, and we have a water filtration system for our home, so no hard water stains. I don't own a microwave.

fourthnlast · July 2014

mom2boxers said:

fourthnlast said:

Dishwasher like every other dish in this house. I see no reason to complicate things.

I thought about trying the dishwasher, but we have hard water and even with a rinse agent we sometimes get residue where water collects and stands on certain items. I didn't want to deal with that in bottles/nipples/vents. Plus I don't run the dishwasher every day.

I bought this little organizer thing that goes in the dishwasher for all small parts. Also, use Lemi-Shine along with dishwasher detergent to combat the hard water, works like magic. Dang, I run the dishwasher, sometimes twice a day, but there are 6 of us in the family now.

bumpuser10354689 · July 2014

Dishwasher. I have enough bottles for one full day so I just run it once a day and we are golden. I have the baskets for the bottle parts and the nipples - they work great!

cnbean · July 2014

Dishwasher or hand wash with regular dish soap. No need to get complicated.

Teresa1896 · July 2014

I'm in the hot water and soap camp. I don't see a reason to sterilize daily, or really...even weekly. Ain't nobody got time for that. I will periodically run them through the dishwasher on steam/sanitize cycle if I think of it.

MissWhis · July 2014

Sterilizing regularly is silly, IMO. It's like buying that stupid "nursery water" to make formula.

I just started back to work last week and I only work a couple days per week. On those days I put all the pump parts (I have enough flanges, etc for three pumping sessions at work) and used bottles and nipples in the dishwasher. I handwash the Dr Browns vents.

The other days of the week I EBF.

I have a newfound respect for moms who EP. SO MUCH FREAKING WORK. Mad props to you, ladies.

*sparky* · July 2014

Usually run the bottles through the dishwasher with the sanitize rinse cycle. If I wash them in the sink I out them in a separate Tupperware of hot soapy water, let sit, and then scrub and air dry. I scrub my pump parts by hand the same way and sanitize those in boiling water about every other day.

WifeofaComposer · July 2014

ksulli said:

FYI the Palmolive baby dish soap is the regular stuff watered down. So long as you give it a good rinse, the 'baby' label means you pay more for them adding more water at the bottling facility.

@ksulli - I'm glad my mom got it for us as a baby shower gift... I won't waste any money on it in the future.

hpanabaker · July 2014

I sterilize every time because it was recommended for the first 3 months. But it seems like a lot of people don't worry about it too much.

ksulli · July 2014

@misswhiss tip that I didn't figure out until pumping at work for #2. No need to bring multiple sets- just put the flanges, etc in the fridge and wash only at the end of the day.

Jenn06L80 · July 2014

I have 40 Dr. Brown bottles. With twin girls I go through 10 a day now. So every fourth day I put the bottles in the dishwasher by themselves and then wash all the parts with hot soapy water. I only ever sterilize the nipples. I use the medela bags for sterilizing.

lmac2582 · July 2014

Take apart, put in dishwasher, add one of those little tabs, press start.

rtv3 · July 2014

WifeofaComposer said:

ksulli said:

FYI the Palmolive baby dish soap is the regular stuff watered down. So long as you give it a good rinse, the 'baby' label means you pay more for them adding more water at the bottling facility.

@ksulli - I'm glad my mom got it for us as a baby shower gift... I won't waste any money on it in the future.

I got mine as a gift too. I won't bother to buy more when it runs out

katy4128 · July 2014

Hand wash with soap and hot water. I have 4 bottles so I wash bottles a lot.

Jodash24 · July 2014

Wash in the sink with soapy water and then put into a microwave steriliser, every time, only takes 6 minutes and my bottles are stored in the steriliser too so they ain't all hanging around

Keckers · July 2014

Hand wash with hot water and dish (Dawn) soap, then run through Dr. Brown electric sterilizer. I disassemble the bottles after LO eats and throw the pieces in a huge bowl in the sink apart from the other dishes. I sterilize every time, but am starting to think it may be a bit unnecessary!

irisheyez7 · July 2014

Jenn06L80 said:

I have 40 Dr. Brown bottles. With twin girls I go through 10 a day now. So every fourth day I put the bottles in the dishwasher by themselves and then wash all the parts with hot soapy water. I only ever sterilize the nipples. I use the medela bags for sterilizing.

40! 40 bottles! Dayum! Quite the collection!

Kriztyn · July 2014

I just have to wash the nipples bc I use the Playtex drop ins... I spend about 3 minutes a day cleaning the nipples in hot water and dish soap. Love it!

MissWhis · July 2014

ksulli said:
@misswhiss tip that I didn't figure out until pumping at work for #2. No need to bring multiple sets- just put the flanges, etc in the fridge and wash only at the end of the day.

I wish I could do that! Our break room fridges are full to bursting and I barely want to put my lunch in them let alone pump parts and breast milk.

We have tons of spare pump parts from when my daughter was in the NICU so it's easier to bring multiple sets and deal with it at home.

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