Are Dr. Brown Bottles Dishwasher Safe?
Are you wondering why Dr. Brown Bottles are quite popular among parents? This is because they have a design that allows parents to comfortably feed their babies. They’re also great to use with newborns and those suffering from colic problems. To prevent gas from building up in your newborn, these bottles feature a vented design.
However, these bottles have more parts than you would find on a standard baby bottle. This makes cleaning them an uphill task. There are various methods of cleaning Dr. Brown bottles like washing using your hands, sanitizing by boiling and using a dishwasher.
However, with the many parts, you’re probably wondering whether it’s safe to clean this bottle in a dishwasher. Read on to find out if it’s safe to clean these bottles with a dishwasher.
How Safe Is it to Wash Baby Bottles in the Dishwasher?
Many experts believe that cleaning baby bottles in a dishwasher is safe. Besides worrying whether you’re going to effectively clean all the different parts of the bottle, there’s always a cause of concern about the safety of the cleaning procedure. You can rest easy knowing that it’s safe to clean Dr. Brown bottles in the dishwasher.
To ensure that you effectively and safely clean these bottles, you should first set the hot drying cycle mode on the dishwasher. This helps to prevent the growth and eventual build-up of bacteria and mold.
Disinfecting the bottles with hot water is also very important. You should also ensure that the baby bottle you’re tossing into the dishwasher has a dishwasher safe label from the manufacturer.
How to Put Baby Bottles in the Dishwasher
Dishwashers make it easy for parents to clean baby bottles. Unlike other pieces of utensils that you put in whole into the dishwasher, you’ll have to follow specific procedures to effectively clean the bottles. You’ll need to disassemble all the baby bottle parts and clean them separately.
You should clean the individual parts using heated water or a small dose of detergent to help sanitize them. A bottle brush comes in handy when scrubbing the bottles inside.
You can then put these parts at the top rack of your dishwasher to complete the cleaning and disinfection process. You can sterilize the baby bottle using boiling water or a bottle warmer.
Using a Dishwasher to Clean Dr. Brown Bottles
Other baby bottles are quite easy to clean, whether you’re washing them by hand or using a dishwasher. Due to the number of parts on Dr. Brown’s bottles, it may take you a bit longer to clean them. However, with time it’ll become easier for you to clean them once you learn how to safely clean them in a dishwasher.
There are several tips and tricks you have to keep in mind when cleaning Dr. Brown bottles in the dishwasher.
These bottles are safe for cleaning using the dishwasher’s top rack but not suitable for heating in the microwave. You can use the following five easy steps to clean these bottles just as you would clean any other baby bottle.
Step 1: Disassembling the Bottle Parts
Dr. Brown bottles have many parts that can be a hindrance when cleaning it. As mentioned above, disassembling all the individual parts of the bottle makes cleaning effective and easy.
Among other insert parts, Dr. Brown bottle components include the nipple, nipple collar, vent insert and reservoir, cap, travel disc, and bottle.
Step 2: Place the Bottle Parts in a Dishwasher Basket
The bottle has many small parts that can likely fall to the dishwasher’s bottom and get damaged by the heat. Dr. Brown sells dishwasher baskets that you can use to place all the components on when cleaning them if your dishwasher doesn’t come with one.
You can place all the bottle components such as the nipple, nipple collar, and vents in the basket to ensure they stay in place when cleaning them.
Step 3: Place the Basket & Bottle on the Dishwasher’s Top Rack
With all the small parts and other bottle inserts in the dishwasher basket, you can now place it inside the dishwashing machine.
Ensure that you place the basket on the top rack of the dishwasher to prevent small parts from falling to the bottom of the machine. Placing the basket at the bottom runs the risk of damaging the parts during the cycle.
Step 4: Run the Dishwasher
Once everything is secure in place, you can add mild detergent and run the dishwasher as usual. You can run the dishwasher using whichever cycle you’re used to. However, the sanitizer cycle is very effective when cleaning baby bottles.
You can steam clean the baby bottle by running a dry cycle once you complete the washing cycle.
Step 5: Ensure the Bottle Parts are Dry Before Reassembling
You can remove the residual moisture and condensation that remains on the bottles by wiping the bottles and all its components using a dry towel. You can then air dry all the parts for a few hours before reassembling all the parts together.
Dr. Brown’s Options Dishwasher Basket for Standard Baby Bottle Parts
Dr. Brown’s Dishwasher basket comes in handy to clean all standard baby bottles, including those from Dr. Brown. The BPA-free basket has sufficient space to fit 3 sets of Dr. Brown’s Standard Neck bottle parts. The roomy basket can even fit an extra bottle in the gaps provided.
It leaves the least blueprint on the dishwasher since it sits on the side of the dishwasher rack. It offers an effective method for cleaning the bottle components by holding the pieces in the right orientation.
Moreover, the basket has a side compartment that allows you to house smaller items such as pacifiers and breast pump parts among others.
Verdict
Despite all the components found on Dr. Brown’s bottles, it’s safe to use the dishwasher to clean them. The steps mentioned above can help you to effectively clean the bottles. In case your dishwasher doesn’t come with a cleaning basket, then you can get one of the baskets sold by Dr. Browns.
