Cleaning Your Pump

When you are pumping milk for your baby, it’s important to regularly clean your pumping accessories. Here are some basic tips to keeping your pumping accessories sanitized to keep you and your baby healthy.

BEFORE YOU PUMP

• Make sure you wash your hands with soap and water.

• Have a clean surface on which to assemble your clean pump parts.

AFTER PUMPING

• You may use your dishwasher for all parts that are dishwasher safe.

  • Placing small items in a small mesh laundry bag can be helpful.

  • Place pump parts on the top rack of your dishwasher.

  • Add soap.

  • Run dishwasher using hot water and a heated drying cycle.

  • Remove items with clean hands and place on a clean towel or clean paper towels.

• Hand washing

  • Rinse collection bottles with cold water (especially helpful with colostrum)

  • Wash pump parts in warm soapy water, then thoroughly rinse

  • Airy dry on a clean towel or clean paper towels

SANITIZING

• The US Center of Disease Control recommends sanitizing pump parts once a day for any baby under three months of age, was born prematurely, or is ill.

• The most common methods:

  • Commercial bottle sterilizer – follow manufacturer’s instruction carefully and completely.

  • Sanitizing setting on a dishwasher – follow manufacturer’s instruction carefully and completely.

  • Boiling water method:

    • Bring large pot of water to a full boil.

    • Separate all pump parts and place carefully in the boiling water.

    • Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure no parts are sticking to the bottom of the pot.

    • After 10 minutes, remove carefully from the water using tongs and place pieces on paper towels or clean towel to air dry.

BETWEEN PUMPING SESSIONS

• Once parts are fully dry, store all parts in a clean protected area.

• This can be a plastic tub with a tight fitting lid or a large plastic bag that seals tight.