Cleaning & Sterilizing Your Baby Feeding Products 101: A New Parent’s Guide

Life is messy, from spit-ups to daycare germs, but bacteria is a little less scary with a thorough cleaning routine. Here's a short and sweet, but complete step by step guide to getting your feeding and pumping essentials germ-free and ready to go for your little one.

Cleaning nanobébé pink Breastmilk Bottle in sink.

Four Simple Steps

Prep. Thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap to make sure they're clean.
Disassemble. Be sure to take all your bottles, pump parts, baby toys and other accessories apart, no matter how small. It can be super easy for germs or mold to hide in small sections of your baby products. It is imperative that you take apart all pieces.
Wash. Rinse the items as the first part of washing. The water doesn't have to be scalding hot or freezing cold. Whatever you prefer will be fine for this part. For actual washing, there are different ways to clean your products (see an option below). Whichever you choose, you should always follow the first steps mentioned before completing the cleaning process.
Sterilize. Washing is important, but to ensure that your baby's products are completely sterile and hygienic, you'll want to sterilize them after thoroughly washing them. There are several ways to do this.

Dishwasher Cleaning and Sterilization

If your dishwasher has a sanitize setting or a heated dry setting, these work best. Hotter water will help kill germs. Once your dishwasher is finished cleaning and drying, remove products with clean hands and put them away in a clean area. If a dishwasher is unavailable, you can also clean your products by hand.

Plain Ole’ Hand Washing

If you're cleaning by hand: Be sure that your hands are clean before you start to take apart all pieces and rinsing. After that, you can fill a wash bowl with hot water and a gentle bottle or baby safe cleansing soap. Using a brush only used for cleaning baby products, scrub all sides of each product thoroughly and rinse again. For nipples, squeeze water through the hole a few times to get the best clean. Place all parts to air dry in a dust-free area.

For a great, hygienic air drying option, you can use our Slim Drying Rack that has removable pegs and a water catcher. Its design is specifically for fast and hygienic drying, so there is no worry about finding a clean enough dishtowel! Be sure to always clean your brush and basin after each product cleaning. Note that if you hand-wash, you'll want to follow it up by sterilizing your baby's products. Traditionally this was done by boiling them for several minutes, but there is a faster and more convenient way!

Quick Steam Sterilizing

If you don't want to wait an hour for the dishwasher, of if you've washed by hand, Nanobébé's Microwave Steam Sterilizer is here to help! We are dedicated to the safety of your baby and your baby products, so we created our very own baby bottle sterilizer and drying rack, and have mastered the eradication of 99.9% of household germs. With our uniquely-shaped sterilizer, it fits in nearly all microwaves and keeps cleaned products sterile for up to 24 hours. So, if it's late and it's time for you to go to bed, the sterilizer will keep your baby's products germ-free and ready to use the very next morning. To prevent scalding, we even added rubber handles for easy removal from microwave.

If you're short on time, it's okay! With our fast cleaning sterilizer, your bottles will be 99.9% germ-free in just four minutes! This sterilizer accommodates every feeding essential from pump parts and bottles to nipples and pacifiers. Less cleaning time = more baby time (and sanity).

Questions about Nanobébé products? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page!