The 8 Best Bottle Sterilizers To Save You Countless Hours Of Cleaning (2025)

Philips Avent Baby Bottle Sterilizer And Dryer Premium

Capacity:Up to six bottles, parts and accessories | Cycle time:Six minutes (sterilize only);40 minutes (sterilize and dry)| Dimensions:11.9 x 7.5 x 14.8 inches

The Phillips Avent Baby Bottle Sterilizer And Dryer Premium packs a lot of convenience into a compact and sleek package. First of all, it’s both a sterilizer and a dryer, which is a huge time-saver compared to other sterilizer-only models. And while not crucial, its slim modern profile just looks nice. Aesthetics aside, it sanitizes quickly (just six minutes), and even with the drying cycle added on, the entire cycle finishes in just 40 minutes, which is a lot faster than other similar products, so you won’t be there waiting anxiously for it to finish so you can feed or pump again. The controls are simple, making it easy to learn how to use straight out of the box. You simply turn the knob to one of the three settings: sterilize, sterilize and dry, or dry only. An included drip tray collects any milk droplets to keep your counters clean and tongs makes removing still warm items in the sanitizer easy.

While it’s designed to fit multiple bottle sizes, be aware that there are some parents online who say it’s challenging to fit their 8-ounce Dr. Brown’s bottles in particular, while others say if you remove the accessory tray, that’s not a problem. And since it’s designed to be modular, when you’re done using bottles you can remove the taller portion and just leave the accessory tray to use to sterilize any number of other baby and toddler items like teethers, feeding items and more. This sterilizer also comes with a 24-month warranty.

What the parents say: “While it only fits six bottles at a time, it has a fast cycle that makes running back-to-back cycles pretty easy and everything always comes out dry, which I feel like didn't happen with other ones,” says Lisa Serapiglia, Forbes vice president of business operations. She also loves its compact footprint, allowing her to maximize countertop space.

Baby Brezza Superfast Sterilizer And Dryer

Capacity:Up to six bottles and two full pump part sets | Cycle time:10 minutes (sterilize and dry)| Dimensions:‎‎11.3 x 12.5 x 13.5 inches

If you’re in a hurry, it doesn’t get much faster than the Baby Brezza Superfast Sterilizer Dryer cycle that both sterilizes and dries everything inside in just ten minutes. The convenience of not having to time putting your bottles or pump parts in as soon as you can to ensure they’ll be dry for the next feeding or pumping session is priceless to many parents. Pennsylvania-based pediatrician Dr. Lee used this sterilizer herself: “I found the dry function super helpful when my baby was born in the middle of a hot and humid Pennsylvania summer,” she says. “It also had the most capacity for what I wanted and was easy to clean.”

The unit has four modes:sterilizer and dryer, sterilizer only (six minutes), dryer only (four minutes) or storage rack. It also comes with a one-year limited warranty in case something doesn’t work as well as it should. This no-fuss sterilizer isn’t the most compact, however, so make sure you have the kitchen real estate to dedicate to it or spacious cabinet space to stash it away when not in use.

Munchkin Steam Microwave Bottle Sterilizer

If you’re looking for an affordable sterilizer that gets the job done, or perhaps a more portable one to take to work or to travel with, the lightweight Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer is a fantastic option. It holds up to four bottles and two breast pump shields or any number of those smaller, peskier pump parts, and you simply pop it into the microwave for two to six minutes (depending on your microwave’s wattage) to sterilize the whole batch. It’s convenient, easy to stow in a cabinet when not in use and kills up to 99.9% of bacteria in a few minutes. Often on sale for less than $15, it’s hard to beat this sterilizer in terms of value.

What our writers say: “I loved using the Munchkin Steam Microwave Bottle Sterilizer any time I needed to sterilize something quickly, like a binky or my pump parts. I didn’t use bottles very often, so this was perfect to pull out when I needed it and then to stash it out of sight,” says Alicia Betz, Forbes Vetted writer and mom of three. “It’s so much cheaper than the fancier sterilizers, too, but it does the same job.”

Hauture Baby Bottle Sterilizer

Capacity:Up to 11 bottles, parts and accessories | Cycle time:70 minutes (sterilize and dry);adjustable drying times| Dimensions:‎10.8 x 9 x 15.4 inches

If you’re cycling through tons of bottles and pump parts every few hours, you’ll want a sterilizer that can hold a lot at once so you’re not constantly reloading it. The extra spacious Hauture Baby Bottle Sterilizer holds up to 11 bottles at once as well as a few extra pump parts. Given how much it can hold, it surprisingly has a smaller footprint than other comparable models we looked at. It is, however, on the tall side, so if you have low cabinets finding a good place for it may be trickier.

This easy-to-use sterilizer has multiple modes you can select from including a sterilize and dry option and a preset option where you can set a timer to have it start cycling through at a certain time to coincide with your feed or pump times. A bright LED display at the button shows you how much time is left in the cycle and if you’re not in a hurry to use whatever items are inside, it’ll keep them sterilized for up to 72 hours. An accessory tray on top holds bottle nipples, pacifiers and smaller pump parts.

Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro

Capacity:Up to four bottles, parts and accessories | Cycle time:90 minutes (wash, sterilize and dry)| Dimensions:‎‎18.5 x 9.8 x 15.3 inches

With 20 high-pressure jets, the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro is essentially a dedicated mini countertop dishwasher for all your bottles and pump parts with no fussy drain attachment required. Unlike a regular sterilizer where you may still have to hand-wash the bottles or pump parts beforehand, this one dispenses soap, rinses it off with three cycles, sterilizes with hot steam and dries everything thoroughly with HEPA-filtered hot air. The bottles and accessories inside stay sterilized up to 72 hours. Wheels on the bottom make the unit easy to move and turn around.

The price is higher than the average sterilizer, but fans like Forbes Vetted deputy editor Rebekah Lowin say it’s an “absolutely indispensable tool” in her household. She had this to say about it inher review:“What most impressed me about this Baby Brezza device was its ability to achieve such an extraordinary level of cleanliness.”

There are six cleaning modes, so you can select the one that best fits your needs (and time): wash, sterilize and dry, wash and dry; a wash only (19 minutes), sterilize and dry, sterilize only (10 minutes) and dry only (60 minutes). It’s definitely on the larger side, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough counter space to dedicate to it. Just note you’ll have to use the brand’s proprietary BPA-free baby detergent (as if you were buying dishwasher pods) for the machine. It comes with 60 tablets.

Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Warmer And Sterilizer

Capacity:One bottle plus accessories | Cycle time:Six minutes (sterilize only)| Dimensions: 6.8 x 7 x 13inches

Instead of having two appliances cluttering up the counter, sterilize and warm up your baby’s bottle with one compact machine. Not only will this handy machine sterilize a bottle or pump part, it’ll also gently warm up frozen or fresh milk and baby food to your preset warming temperature. As an added bonus, all the pieces easily disassemble and can be washed in your dishwasher. The slim profile fits easily on most countertops.

The programmable LED panel remembers your last settings so you can just press a button to start the next warming cycle, while a 60-second auto shutoff makes sure baby’s milk or food won’t get too hot—small details that might feel sanity-saving during middle-of-the-night feedings. Due to its multifunction design, it only holds one bottle at a time, so if you’re planning on needing to sterilize multiple bottles and accessories a day, this may not be the best fit for you.

Capacity:Up to 12 bottles | Cycle time:60 to 80 minutes (sterilize and dry)| Dimensions:‎‎9.84 x 9.84 x 9.84 inches

If you’re looking for a UV sanitizer that can be used long after your baby is done with bottles, the Grownsy 4-iI-1 UV Sanitizer And Dryer is a versatile option. It comes with four modes: auto (sanitize and dry), sanitize-only, dry-only and storage. The full auto cycle takes approximately 60 to 80 minutes depending on the settings you select, and since it’s UV-based, you don’t have to fill anything with water.

The downside compared to a steam or electric sterilizer is that the drying process takes significantly longer—about 50 to 70 minutes. It’s able to hold tons of stuff (up to a dozen bottles at once), and once you’re done using it for baby items, you can use it to sanitize any number of household items from keys to your smartphone, toothbrushes, face masks and more, giving it second life.

Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags (12-Pack)

Capacity:Roughly two 8-ounce bottles | Cycle time:Three minutes (sterilize)| Dimensions:‎‎‎4.38 x 2.13 x 10.13 inches

Whether you’re pumping exclusively at home or going back to work, the number of small pump parts you have to constantly wash can feel never-ending. As a pumping working mom, these Medela Quick Clean Micro-steam Bags were life-changing for me. Several friends had recommended these when I was registering, and I’m forever grateful they did. When you’re in a hurry (like at work) or exhausted and dealing with a lot of pump parts and bottles at home, being able to simply toss them in one of these BPA-free bags and place them in the microwave meant my bottles and pump parts were ready to use for the next time in mere minutes.

Since they’re bags, they can easily be tossed in any purse or diaper bag so you’ll always have one on hand, making them particularly ideal for travel. They’re also a great option for those with limited counter space to devote to a full-size sterilizer. You can use each bag up to 20 times and handy checkboxes on the back of each bag helps you keep track of how many times you’ve used it.

RECOMMENDED BYFORBES VETTED

Are Bottle Sterilizers Worth It?

It’s up to the parents (and their budget) whether they want to invest in a sterilizer versus boiling bottles and accessories, says Dr. Chang. Factors such as time, cost and counter space all play a role in whether one is “worth it” for a family. “There’s a set-it-and-forget-it element with sterilizers that allow parents to time things. These conveniences may be important for some families,” she says.

According to Dr. Lee, “It isn’t absolutely necessary to sterilize baby bottles all the time, although generally I recommend parents should at least sterilize once before the first use. Then, how often you sterilize would depend on if you have a premature baby or a baby who is battling any health problems. In those cases, there is no set number of times you should sterilize, but once a day would probably be a good place to start.” She recommends talking to your pediatrician about your baby’s specific health needs to see if you might need to sterilize bottles more frequently.

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