Baby bottles can be kept clean naturally by using non-toxic cleaning supplies like vinegar, Castile soap and hot water. In this short post I explain how to use Castile soap and vinegar to clean baby bottles and why they are considered the most natural cleaning agents.
Best Ways to Clean Baby Bottles Naturally
The following are the best soaps and methods to use to clean baby bottles. These non-toxic supplies can also be used to clean breast pump parts.
How to use Castile soap to clean baby bottles
Of all the natural options available, the most recommended product is Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. I did some research on Castile soap years ago when I had babies, but needed to refresh my memory for this post. Castile soap is a good choice for cleaning baby bottles for two reasons.
- 90% of the ingredients are certified organic. And there are no preservatives like metals, no synthetic additives like parabens or fragrances and no dyes. There are no endocrine disrupters, like triclosan. And it’s made of natural oils, making it easy on baby’s skin.
- Even though it’s made of natural ingredients, it’s a powerful cleaning agent. While it does not kill bacteria on contact, it can remove them, thanks to those natural oils.
To clean baby bottles and nipples with Castile soap, simply rinse them out with hot water, then pour a teaspoon of Castile soap in the bottle and fill up the rest of the way with water. Use a bottle brush to clean and rinse thoroughly. Set upside down on your drying station. I rinsed the nipples, lids and breast pump pieces with warm water and just wiped with my fingers.
OR
Fill up a large bowl with hot water and a tablespoon of Castile soap. Submerge bottles, nipples, lids and breast pump parts in the bowl and then clean each individually with the bottle brush.
How to clean baby bottles and pump parts with vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is also a great, natural and non-toxic option for cleaning baby bottles, nipples and pump parts. Vinegar is a natural agent derived from acetic acid. It is possibly more effective to clean baby bottles with than Castile soap because it does kill bacteria. The acetic acid penetrates the bacteria killing it quickly.
To use vinegar to sanitize baby bottles, my favorite method is soaking. Just fill a large bowl or the sink with equal parts hot water and distilled white vinegar. Then submerge all bottles, nipples and pump parts in the vinegar water for 30 minutes. After soaking, rinse everything really well and set aside to dry.
Other ways to sanitize baby bottles and pump parts naturally
If you don’t have Castile soap or vinegar, you can still clean baby bottles and breast pump parts naturally. I also used to do this once a week to ensure there were no bacteria, mold or other germs lingering on my baby bottles and pump parts.
Fill a large pot with water and boil it on the stove. Once it’s boiling, add the bottle and pump parts and let it boil for at least 5 minutes. You can add vinegar to the pot for extra ease of mind, although the boiling water should clean everything just fine.
It’s very easy to go the natural route for some things!