https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 05:47:09 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705963 Sat, 04 Mar 2017 13:51:45 +0000 peachykeen 2705963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP'ed with DD1 and bought enough bottles to go at least a day (with a few extra in the fridge). We still never used the dishwasher but at least only had to wash once a day. </p> <p>I also had 2 full sets of pump parts (kept in the fridge and took 2nd set to work) and 2 pumping bras. The small investment is so worth saving your sanity!</p> <p>Washing went way faster when I used hot water, blue Dawn dish soap (cuts grease best), and a little bit of vinegar. I barely had to scrub after soaking a few minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705911 Sat, 04 Mar 2017 08:46:16 +0000 Goldengirl 2705911@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EFF since day 1 so am all about the bottles. And yes bottle washing is a PITA. I have 18 bottles I think, so I never have that feeling of quickly needing to wash a bottle when I run out, because I never run out. That really helps. That being said, I try to stay on top of it because when I see the sink filling up, I get stressed! I don't boil them (besides the first time) but I run through dishwasher whenever it's full (every couple days) on a high heat cycle which should be enough to sterilize. Otherwise, bottle brush, hot soap, water, and the Boon drying rack for sure!</p> <p>I also will put LO in the bouncer next to me while I do it so it kills 2 birds with 1 stone and gives us a bit of an activity. He seems okay watching me do it. Hopefully it will make him want to wash the dishes when he's older ;)</p> <p>HTH! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705907 Sat, 04 Mar 2017 08:15:27 +0000 DesertDreams88 2705907@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>More bottles and use the dishwasher. So much easier and less time consuming... totally worth the $30 for extra bottles.</p> <p>Once LO starts eating solids you'll probably have more dishes too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705850 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:21:49 +0000 IRunForFun 2705850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Rinsing the bottles and putting them in the fridge never occurred to me, but that'll be so helpful for only washing once a day instead of twice!! I knew I could do it with pump parts so I don't know why I didn't think of it with bottles! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705770 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:04:43 +0000 Charm54 2705770@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EPed and bought enough bottles and parts to last me a day. Rinsed my parts in between pumps and stored in he refrigerator. Then I ran them through the dishwasher nightly </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705767 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 17:51:47 +0000 gingerbebe 2705767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At home we do the same rinse and reuse thing after the newborn phase. I have a hot water boiler and just rinse out the bottle to sterilize and stick it back in the fridge. I save the formula feed for the last feeding before bed and then put the used bottle in a separate dishpan filled with soapy water to wash later. </p> <p>For the pump I wipe the flanges and the connector (wherever milk pools) dry with a paper towel, and store them in the fridge in a wet bag. Then I wash them every other day.</p> <p>I quickly hand wash the bottle parts and rinse in hot water and use those microwave sterilizer things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705722 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:37:35 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2705722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use the comotomo also and makes bottle washing easier. You can buy 1 bottle just to try it out. I specifically did not get dr Brown's because of the washing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705719 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:33:01 +0000 peaches1038 2705719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I washed every day, but had two sets of bottles (10 total) so that I could transfer my pumped milk into clean bottles and then wash the used bottles and my pump parts all at the same time. I did put my pump parts in the fridge between sessions and just washed once a day. We used avent natural glass bottles, which is a simple bottle. I pretty much never boiled or used microwave sanitizer bags - just washed in hot water. My friend used this medela soap, which apparently doesn't require any scrubbing and she said it saved her a lot of time. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Medela-Quick-Clean-Breastmilk-Removal/dp/B00A6F2QJC" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Medela-Quick-Clean-Breastmilk-Removal/dp/B00A6F2QJC</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705717 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:30:47 +0000 ShootingStar 2705717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would get at least 12. And just use the dishwasher. When the top rack is full, run it. Or run at least once a day, even if the rest of the dishwasher isn't full up. </p> <p>Did you try the Playtex bottles with her? I've tried a lot of different bottles and these are becoming my favorite. The bottle itself and the ring don't touch the milk. You use liners with them. So I just rinse out the bottle and the ring and then wash the nipples or throw them in a dishwashing basket. It is kind of wasteful, but they are recyclable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705716 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:30:07 +0000 RonjaL7 2705716@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I leave a dishbin on my counter and all bottles get rinsed immediately and taken apart and thrown in the bin (so they are separate from the sink). At the end of day I move the bin into the sink and soak them in very hot soapy water for 15 minutes or so while I get something else done. Then I use a bottle brush to very quickly do the harder plastic pieces (cylinder bottle, cap, ring that attaches nipple to cylinder, and bottom plug). I do all of these washings together, placing them in the sink after, and rinse them all at once. Then I do the softer rubber pieces (venti ring and nipple) while placing them back into the hot soapy water between each one. This helps pre-rinse them and I imagine keeps them a bit cleaner perhaps then letting them sit in the sink before I rinse like the other harder parts. Then I rinse all these off. I definitely go super fast on the harder pieces and sometimes just rinse the cap.</p> <p>About every other day or so I end up running my dishwasher and use that instead so that I'm not washing everyday. </p> <p>Also a mesh laundry bag works great in the dishwasher if you don't have a large enough basket for the smaller items.</p> <p>I also agree with above, that beyond the newborn stage if your child is healthy there is no need to boil. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705705 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:10:40 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2705705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use Comotomo and one of the awesome features about that bottle is how it is to clean. Every once in awhile I will boil all the pieces- nipple, ring, and bottle. On a daily basis we rinse after each use until we have time to clean. Then we use hot soapy water to vigorously wash by hand. We don't separate the nipple from the ring. We use Boon Lawn, a Twig, and Flower to air dry them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705697 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:00:30 +0000 kiddosc 2705697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Buy more bottles so you can do most of the washing in the dishwasher. We had three days worth of pump parts, and way more bottles than necessary. My LOs took the cheapo Gerber bottles, so that was easier though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705695 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:58:04 +0000 sauerkraut 2705695@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I own enough bottles to last through a day, rinse immediately to get milk off of bottles/pump parts to make the wash easier and more effective, wash in the dishwasher, and run the dishwasher if I anticipate running out of bottles/pump parts, even if it's not full. I use the avent natural bottles, so there are only three parts to deal with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705659 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:24:12 +0000 IRunForFun 2705659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrskansas: Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks! </p> <p>@T.H.O.U.: I need to get one of those drying racks. </p> <p>@catlady: Yeah, I was thinking an extra set would be helpful. I could use the dishwasher more often that way too since we run it once a day or every other day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705651 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:21:14 +0000 mrskansas 2705651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: It's so much nicer to not have to wash all those parts constantly. </p> <p>I'm crazy but this is making me miss pumping sooo much! I loved it :bummed: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705646 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:19:25 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2705646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrskansas: Im trying to do this with my pump parts. I have 2 sets and I'm trying to make them last 5 days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705643 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:19:03 +0000 catlady 2705643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't exclusively pump but my kids do go to full-time daycare so we go through a lot of bottles. One of the best things I did last time was buy a full extra set of bottles. I get the used bottles from daycare, wash and set to dry, and then fill the other set of clean ones. Technically it's the same amount of washing but it was more efficient and I only had to deal with bottles once per day. I have a different set of bottles to pump into (unfortunately) and I also have two sets of those and wash them at the same time. For all of them, I use microwave steam bags instead of boiling, which is much easier, and I only do it about once per week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705642 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:18:50 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2705642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, once we were past the newborn stage we stopped the boiling. If you're using hot water and occasionally the dishwasher there really is no need/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705641 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:18:21 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2705641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Never Ending. </p> <p>I would try to get enough bottles for 1.5 days. So you could go at least a full 24 hours without washing if you had to. </p> <p>One small thing that kinda helps is that I use our big mixing bowl and put all the dirty parts in there apart and then wash the pieces. I can go a little quicker knowing they have at least all had a good soak. The Boon Drying rack with the "tree" thing helps to dry them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705637 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:16:56 +0000 snowjewelz 2705637@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With DD1 I think I just washed every night after I went back to work and she was taking bottles. Whoever's home with her would usually wash too but when they're at daycare then I gotta do them all at night since I'd have pump stuff from work to wash too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705635 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:14:12 +0000 mrskansas 2705635@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@IRunForFun: Yep! There is no harm in doing that since breast milk stays good in the fridge for like 3 days I think. So one day of reusing a bottle can't do any harm. With pump parts, I would just throw them in a plastic tupperware container (in the fridge) between pumps, also washing at the end of each day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705630 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:11:17 +0000 IRunForFun 2705630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: Ugh I've tried 4 or 5 kinds and of course she only likes the Dr. Brown's! So frustrating!!! </p> <p>@mrskansas: So you'd rinse with hot water, put the bottle in the fridge, then use again? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705624 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:09:43 +0000 mrskansas 2705624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I only washed bottles once a day. I would rinse with hot water, put back in the fridge and then wash at the end of the day. I also did that with pump parts.</p> <p>A simpler bottle also helps too.</p> <p>ETA: I exclusively pumped for almost a year so I feel your pain, no matter what you do it feels never ending! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705620 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:07:29 +0000 MrsSRS 2705620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is just the life now! This is specifically why we didn't use that brand. I reeeeaaally recommend a simpler bottle if possible. I found that tossing little pieces into a bowl of water and Dawn original to soak until washing time really helped. Breast milk is fatty and this cut down on scrubbing time and residue. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-bottle-washing-routine#post-2705611 Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:03:29 +0000 IRunForFun 2705611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm exclusively pumping and the amount of bottle-washing I'm doing is driving me insane. We only have 6 bottles of the brand - Dr. Brown's of course, so there are a bunch of pieces to wash - DD will take so I find myself washing bottles every morning and every evening to have enough clean to make it through. I just use a bottle brush with soap and hot water and every couple days I throw everything in a pot of boiling water. </p> <p>Is there something I'm missing that could help minimize my time spent washing them? We don't run the dishwasher often enough to stick them in there, although if we have any dirty at a time we are about to run it I'll stick them in one of those baskets on the top rack. Do I need to just buy more bottles so I'm washing less often? But then when I do wash, I'll have more to wash...</p> <p>Is this just my life now? </p>