Warmers & sterilizers
Bottle sterilizer vs dishwasher: do you need both?
A question with a genuine answer, and for a lot of families the answer saves them a hundred dollars.
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The short answer
If your baby is over two months old, was born at term and is healthy, and you have a dishwasher with a hot wash and a heated drying or sanitizing cycle, you probably do not need a dedicated sterilizer. The CDC's guidance on infant feeding items is to clean items after every use and to sanitize daily specifically when a baby is under two months old, was born premature, or has a weakened immune system, and it notes that a dishwasher run with hot water and a heated drying cycle helps kill more germs. If you are in one of those three categories, or you are exclusively pumping, buy a sterilizer — a fifteen-dollar microwave one will do.
Quick picks
Our ranking, with the reasoning underneath. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer A plastic box, a splash of water and your microwave. It sterilizes properly and costs a fraction of an electric unit, so start here. | Sterilizing cheaply | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price until we can verify it live |
| 2 | Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer Advanced Sterilizes and dries a full load of bottles plus pump parts in one cycle, which is the only version of this job worth paying for. | Sterilizers, overall | 8.7 | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price until we can verify it live |
Scores are our own research scores on the rubric published at how we choose. They are not star ratings from customers, and we do not show a price we cannot verify live.
Side by side
| What matters | Dishwasher | Dedicated sterilizer |
|---|---|---|
| Cleans | Yes, which is the part actually required after every feed. | No. Items must already be clean. |
| Kills germs | Hot water plus a heated drying or sanitizing cycle helps kill more germs. | Yes, steam. Purpose-built. |
| Small parts | Awkward. Need a closed basket or they end up in the element. | Designed for them. This is the real advantage for pumping parents. |
| Speed | A long cycle, but it runs while you do something else. | Minutes in a microwave, longer for an electric sterilize-and-dry. |
| Drying | Heated dry, if your machine has it. | Only on the units that include a dryer, and it is their best feature. |
| Counter space | None extra. | A microwave box lives in a cupboard; an electric unit lives on the counter. |
| Cost | You already own it. | From very little to a lot. |
Clean and sanitize are two different jobs
This is the distinction that resolves the whole question, and hardly any product page makes it.
Cleaning removes milk residue. It is required after every single feed, and it is done with soap and water, by hand or in a dishwasher. Nothing can be sanitized until it is clean, because you cannot steam milk residue away.
Sanitizing reduces germs on an already-clean item. Per CDC guidance, it is for extra germ removal, and it is recommended daily for babies under two months, babies born premature, and babies with a weakened immune system. The CDC lists boiling, steaming and a weakened bleach solution as methods for nonporous items, and says to check with the manufacturer about which is right for a given item.
So a dishwasher can cover both jobs for many families. A sterilizer only ever covers the second.
Use the dishwasher alone if
- Your baby is over two months, born at term, and healthy.
- Your dishwasher has a hot wash and a heated drying or sanitizing cycle.
- You have a closed basket for nipples, valves and rings.
- You would rather have the counter space than the appliance.
Buy a sterilizer if
- Your baby is under two months old, was born premature, or is immunocompromised. A cheap microwave steam sterilizer fully covers this — see our picks.
- You are exclusively pumping. Pump parts are small, numerous and awkward in a dishwasher, and an electric unit that also dries genuinely changes your day.
- You have no dishwasher. Then a sterilizer plus hand-washing is your setup.
- You use glass bottles and boil them anyway — a steam sterilizer is less faff than a pan.
The middle path most people end up on
Dishwasher for bottles, a cheap microwave steam sterilizer for the first two months and for pump parts. Total cost is the price of a takeaway, it takes no permanent counter space, and it covers every scenario the guidance actually calls for. Buy the big electric unit later if and only if you find yourself living at the sink.
Worth saying plainly
Check the manufacturer's instructions before putting any bottle or nipple in a dishwasher or a sterilizer — the CDC specifically says to check with the item's manufacturer about which sanitizing method to use. Some silicone and hybrid bottles have limits.
What we would buy
Now that the decision is made, these are the products we would actually put in the basket, and why.
Photo for illustration, not a photograph of our own unit.
Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer
Munchkin
A plastic box, a splash of water and your microwave. It sterilizes properly and costs a fraction of an electric unit, so start here.
- Speed
- 9
- Evenness
- 8
- Capacity
- 6
- Ease of use
- 7
- Value
- 10
- Method:
- Microwave steam
- Capacity:
- Around four bottles
- Extras:
- None
- Price tier:
- Budget
What works
- Cheapest real sterilizing method after a pan of boiling water
- No counter space used between cycles
- Fast, at a couple of minutes per load
What to know first
- No drying, so parts come out wet
- You need a microwave big enough
- Hot and heavy to lift out
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price until we can verify it live
Photo for illustration, not a photograph of our own unit.
Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer Advanced
Baby Brezza
Sterilizes and dries a full load of bottles plus pump parts in one cycle, which is the only version of this job worth paying for.
- Speed
- 8
- Evenness
- 9
- Capacity
- 10
- Ease of use
- 8
- Value
- 7
- Method:
- Steam sterilize plus filtered dry
- Capacity:
- A day of bottles plus pump parts
- Extras:
- Sterile storage between cycles
- Price tier:
- Premium
What works
- Drying is the part that saves time, because wet parts are the daily annoyance
- Largest capacity in its class, so one cycle covers the day
- Keeps contents sterile between openings
What to know first
- Large, and it lives on the counter
- Premium price
- Needs regular descaling
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price until we can verify it live
Common questions
Does a dishwasher sterilize baby bottles?
A hot cycle with a heated drying or sanitizing setting helps kill more germs, per CDC guidance. Whether that is sufficient depends on your baby's age and health, which is the whole point of this page.
Can you put bottle nipples in the dishwasher?
Usually, in a closed-top basket on the top rack, but check the manufacturer's instructions for the specific nipple. Loose nipples end up somewhere unhelpful.
How long should I boil bottles instead?
Boiling is one of the sanitizing methods the CDC lists for nonporous feeding items. Follow the CDC's own instructions and the bottle manufacturer's guidance rather than a number from a forum.
Do I need to sterilize bottles after every feed?
No. Clean after every feed; sanitize daily only in the circumstances the CDC names. More in how often to sterilize bottles.
Is a bottle washer a better buy than either?
Only for a specific group: exclusive pumpers, twins, or homes with no dishwasher. See best bottle washers, which is honest about who should skip it.