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How to Clean & Sanitize Baby Bottles with Bleach

You can get baby bottles pretty clean with handwashing, but this can still leave germs behind. Fortunately, a quick bleach and water soak after washing and rinsing is all you need to sanitize baby bottles.

More from Clorox experts

Keeping your baby’s feeding items clean and sanitized is essential for baby’s health and well-being. While hand washing with detergent and water can remove formula and milk residues, sanitizing is also needed to kill harmful bacteria that may linger on the bottles, nipples, and other accessories. Here is a simple and effective way to sanitize baby bottles with Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.  

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What you need

Steps to sanitize baby bottles with bleach

  1. 1

    Wash the feeding items

    Wash the feeding items thoroughly with soap dish detergent and water. This includes the bottles, nipples, caps, rings, valves, and any other parts that come into contact with your baby’s mouth or milk. 

    Tip
    Use bottle and nipple brushes to scrub the inside and outside of each item, and rinse well.
  2. 2

    Prepare the bleach solution

    Measure 1 gallon of cool water into the plastic dishpan and add 2 teaspoons of Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach, stirring to mix. 

    bleach pouring from bottle
  3. 3

    Soak the bottles

    Place the bottles, collars, and nipples in the bleach and water solution, squeezing it through the nipple holes. Stir as needed to help the items remain in contact with the solution.  

    Tip
    To sanitize, items must contact the bleach and water solution for 2 minutes. 
  4. 4

    Air dry

    After 2 minutes, remove the feeding items from the bleach solution and set them on the drying rack to air dry.  

    Tip
    No rinsing is required.
  5. 5

    Discard the bleach solution

    Pour the bleach and water solution down the drain.  

    Tip
    Bleach and water solutions used for sanitizing or disinfecting must be made fresh daily.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you sanitize baby bottles with bleach?

When handwashing baby bottles, always include the sanitizing step, so each time you wash baby bottles you should also sanitize them with bleach.