For mothers that choose to breastfeed or those that use plastic bottle liners, cleaning a baby’s bottle is a mute point. However, many parents still prefer a standard type of bottle, which would need to be cleaned properly to ensure the health and safety of the baby. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a dirty baby bottle taken out of a diaper bag, rinsed out with cold water, and then refilled with new milk. I remember this happening when I was visiting the home of my friend’s sister. I just remember cringing while thinking, “This isn’t right”.
I know with 100% certainty that that mother loved her baby very much. Unfortunately, she just didn’t know the proper steps to take in cleaning the baby bottle properly. The truth is that clean bottles are essential to your baby’s health. In the case of the sister, she could have rinsed the bottle and then set it aside until she had time to clean it properly, choosing a clean bottle instead. Although many bottles can be washed in the dishwasher, you want to be careful with this for a number of reasons. For instance, many of the dishwashing products on the market are made with chlorine. This, as well as chlorinated water from your kitchen sink, should be avoided.
For this reason, many parents will simply hand wash all baby bottles, which only takes a few minutes of time. I recommend you invest in a quality baby bottle, brush so you can reach down to the bottom and inside walls of the bottle. In addition to the bottle itself, the nipple, cap, and cap rings will need to be carefully washed. Be sure you use an antibacterial dish soap such as Dawn, with hot water. The two combined will not just clean the baby bottle but also sterilize it, which is what you want.
After washing the bottles thoroughly, you want to rinse everything off with hot, clean water. Then, place the bottles on a dish rack or clean kitchen towel upside down so they can dry. Keep in mind that if the bottles were placed on a towel, it would be good to fold the material a little around the opening of each bottle so air can reach inside. Once completely dried (to avoid problems with bacteria and mildew), bottles, caps and rings, and nipples should be stored in zippered plastic bags. With this, the bottle would be protected from any dirt or dust. Clean the bottle, brush after cleaning the bottles, allowing it to dry and then storing as well.