Here we review the options to dry your sterilised baby bottles, from cheapest to most time-efficient, and some tips to optimise drying performance at the end.
Drying options for baby bottles and breast pump parts - reviewed:
Will not dry parts - Standard sterilisers.
Most sterilisers will not dry baby bottles or breast pump parts. You will need to add a separate drying solution for the following options:
Cold water (or chemical) sterilisers (like Milton or Dr Johnson’s Sterilising fluid).
Microwave steam steriliser bags.
Microwave steam sterilisers.
Plug-in electric steam sterilisers.
Parts won’t dry in these types of steriliser because the parts are either stored in water (Milton, Dr Johnsons) or there is no air-flow to allow parts to dry. This means you need to shake the water off before using them, running the risk that breast-pump seals may not work, and it’s also not ideal to transport parts when they are wet. Most parents will use a separate drying solution to pair with these sterilisers.
| Drying rating | n/a | Cost | £20-£70 | Speed | n/a | Sterility Risk | n/a |
Hacked Method - Air drying with a drying ‘space’
Many parents place parts face down on a dedicated tea towel or paper towels to create a ‘safe space’ on the counter to allow them to air dry.
However, parts often don't completely dry because there is often no airflow inside the bottles to allow moisture to evaporate.
Transferring parts between steriliser and drying space requires touching the parts, meaning the parts are no longer sterile.
Tea-towels or paper towels also don't dry properly, meaning there is moisture for bacteria to grow in the bottle environment.
| Drying rating | 1/5 | Cost | £0-£5 | Speed | 24h+ | Sterility Risk | Med |
Air drying with a drying rack:
Dedicated baby bottle drying racks such as the Boon Lawn or Oxo Tot provide a dedicated space to organise parts, allow water to run off and allow airflow so that parts can fully dry.
You want to try to ensure there is minimal contact between feeding parts and the drying rack to ensure maximum airflow in and around the parts to optimise drying speed.
However, water is known to collect in these drying racks and become a breeding ground for bacteria. Therefor it is important to regularly clean and sterilise the drying rack.
You also need to hand transfer parts between steriliser and drying rack, meaning part sterility is broken.
| Drying rating | 1/5 | Cost | £20-£50 | Speed | 24h+ | Sterility Risk | Med |
Combined 2-in-1 Steam or UV Bottle steriliser and dryer
Automatic steriliser and dryer machines are a recent recent option for parents to choose from, with UV and Steam options available. They do exactly what they say; sterilising baby bottles and automatically drying them with hot air afterwards. Most typically take one hour to dry baby parts, after ten minutes of sterilisation time.
They avoid the need to transfer parts, maintaining the sterility once the drying is complete.
A risk with UV sterilisation is that the UV radiation causes silicone teats and plastic bottles to yellow over time and require replacement. The NHS advise against using UV sterilisation, stating “they can be ineffective and potentially dangerous to you and your baby.”
However, with steam or UV sterilisers, the most time consuming aspect is handwashing bottles in the first place.
| Drying rating | 4/5 | Cost | £80-£150 | Speed | 2.5/5 | Sterility Risk | Low, but note NHS questions on UV |
NEW: 4-in-1 Baby Bottle Washer, Steriliser, Dryer & Protector
Launched in 2024, this baby bottle steriliser dryer from Bebello takes things one step further, by automatically washing, sterilising, drying whilst providing a safe storage place for baby bottles and breast pump parts.
Critically, the automated process there are no transfers needed between stages, maintaining sterility and saving huge amounts of time every day.
Parts are sterilised with natural steam, meaning there are none of the issues associated with UV, and the dried parts are stored in a safe an sterile place for up to 72hours with the ‘protect mode’.
| Drying rating | 4/5 | Cost | £349 | Speed | 5/5 | Sterility Risk | V. low |
Conclusion on baby bottle drying options:
What drying option you choose really depends on how many baby bottles or pumping sessions you do in a day, and how concerned you are about sterility of parts.
Infrequent bottle use. Not overly concerned on sterility:
If you don’t use or plan to use a lot of bottles, and are not super concerned about sterilisation, it makes sense to save money and use your standard household drying rack, or a tea/paper towel space. Parts may dry more slowly, but if you don't need them as frequently speed is not a priority. You can always upgrade later if you need to.
Frequent bottle use. Not overly concerned on sterility:
It may make sense to consider buying 1 or 2 drying racks. You can batch wash the bottles, sterilise and dry in big batches. The down side are: 1) whilst drying racks are cheap, you spend a lot of time handwashing and transferring bottles between stages, eroding the sense you making the best use of your time when there are lot’s of chores to do!
Frequent bottle use. Concerned about sterility:
The Bebello Baby Bottle Washer really ticks these boxes perfectly. But automating the whole cleaning, sterilisation & drying process, you simply load up, turn on and walk away. This allows parents to follow NHS guidelines to the letter with zero effort. The upfront cost can appear challenging vs sterilisers, but the value of the time saved in this life stage can be life changing.
Baby bottle drying safety tips
After all that washing, rinsing and sterilising the last thing you want to do is to reintroduce bacteria into the baby bottles. So read on for our top tips to keep things hygienic.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching baby’s sterilised bottle parts.
- Make sure the surface you’re assembling bottles on is clean and sterile. You can use the back of a steam steriliser lid or the back of the lid on a cold water sterilisation bucket also.
- Consider using a sterilised tong to remove baby bottle parts from the steriliser and to assemble the bottle.
- Avoid the use of drying racks and tea towels to air dry bottles on if you can as these can harbour bacteria. Otherwise stringent cleaning is required and tea towels should be washed on a hot wash.
- Kitchen paper can leave traces of paper behind and isn’t always as clean as you think, best to avoid also.
- A bottle washer or steriliser with an integrated dry setting avoids the need to touch bottles, maintaining sterility before use.
- Assemble sterilised baby bottles as soon as you remove them from the steriliser and they are dry.
- Avoid touching the teat of the baby bottle, inside the bottle or the milk path of pump parts when assembling.
Tips to speed up drying time
When baby wants their feed, baby wants it now! We get it! So here are some tips to help get ahead on drying your bottles.
1. Separate your parts
Always allow your bottle or pump parts to air dry separately before you try to assemble, this will speed up the drying time.
2. Let the air flow
Place your bottle parts spaced apart with a good flow of air, ideally on a slight angle so the water can run off more freely.
3. Prep ahead
There’s nothing worse than baby needing a feed and realising you’ve run out of clean bottles - start the day by sterilising and drying all the bottles you’ll need for the day ahead so you’re ready to go.
4. Invest in parent tech that saves you time
Purchasing or renting a steriliser and dryer such as Bebello baby bottle washer will give you hours of your time back. As a new parent you’ve already got a million and one things to do, so delegating bottle washing to a machine sounds like a clever idea to us!
Are you looking for an all-in-one baby bottle washer and steriliser?
There are many great time-saving gadgets for parents looking to make life that bit easier, including machines that both sterilise and dry bottles for you. If you’re looking at investing in a bottle washer you may want to check out Bebello that goes that one step further and will also pre-wash your bottles too.
Introducing Bebello Washer
Holding up to 8 small bottles, or 6 large bottles and pump parts, the Bebello washer will wash, sterilise and dry your bottles all at the click of a button. You can select from two drying options, quick dry or eco dry depending on the time you have.
Simply load up Bebello washer, select your settings and leave the machine to do your dirty work.
Bebello uses HEPA filtered air to dry your bottles making sure they remain sterile throughout the process. Once the Bebello machine has finished its dry cycle, you can assemble your bottles ready for baby’s next feed.
Now you’ve mastered drying baby’s feeding items why not check out our other blog post on How to store sterilised baby bottles.