We Tested Several Baby Bottle Washers to See if They're Worth the Splurge

WIRED

8 hours ago

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Keep your baby's bottles sanitized and ready to go with these handy gadgets.
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If you're in the bottle-washing phase of your life, you know what a task it is to sanitize them. Sure, hand washing the nooks and crannies of parts with a bottle brush is tedious, but the real toll is the precious time the chore takes away from your baby. And you don't know chapped hands until you've been wrist-deep in hot, soapy water multiple times a day.
Enter the baby bottle washer: A unicorn for new parents. Just plop in the dirty bottles, fill the water reservoir, and in less than two hours you have sparkling-clean, ready-to-go bottles. It's a game changer, and I've lost count of 'well in my day …' comments I've received during the testing process of these miracle machines. The technology is pretty new, so there aren't a ton of options on the market. But here at WIRED, we're getting ahead of the curve and have tested every baby bottle washer available to see if the appliance is worth it.
Be sure to read our other baby gear guides, including the Best Baby Carriers, Best Breast Pumps, Best Baby Monitors, and Best Strollers. Having never heard of the Grownsy before I tried it, I was really impressed by this sterilizer. The interior cavity is deep, and the tray is wide enough to hold a variety of bottle and pump parts without issue. I had no trouble fitting everything from tall eight-ounce bottles to short, wide ones and pump flanges inside the machine. The machine has four core modes—Quick Wash (19 minutes), Normal Wash (29 minutes), Sterilize and Dry, and Storage—customizable into nine combinations, so you can mix‑and‑match cycles to suit your schedule. After the cycle is done, the machine enters a 72-hour storage mode, circulating HEPA-filtered air to keep bottles sterile inside the chamber. The Grownsy is surprisingly quiet—there are no rumbling sounds, just the subtle sounds of swishing water, which I find calming in a quiet house during nap time. The dirty water output is via a hose, so the device must be placed next to a sink to empty during the cycle. So if you're tight on space near your sink, this machine may not be for you. But if you've got the room, it's an efficient and reliable option, and it's less expensive than its competitors. Dimensions 16.5 inches tall by 12.5 inches wide by 12.5 inches deep Bottle capacity recommendation Up to 4 Parts storage Adjustable Cleaning modes 4 modes (Quick Wash, Normal Wash, Sterilize and Dry, and Storage) Full cycle length 81 minutes Detergent Grownsy detergent tablets only Drainage method Hose Sterile storage window HEPA-filtered chamber for up to 72 hours Water jets 26 high-pressure jets
I like to think of the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro as the pioneer of bottle washers. It paved the way for what I think will be a booming baby product in the next few years, and the Brezza specifically is consistently a top seller across retailers, so it felt like a natural to try first.
The Brezza does what it promises. It washes and sterilizes well, and it uses less water than many competitors—great if you're working with limited filtered or purified water. Like most bottle washers I've tried, some pieces may still come out a little wet even after the dry cycle, but that's pretty standard.
With that said, this bottle washer comes with some trade-offs—the biggest being its size. Not only does it look (and sound) like a rocket ship on the counter, but you also need to take into consideration the clearance needed above the machine so that steam won't warp your cabinets. For something that takes up that much space, it's surprisingly particular about how you load it. The racks are fixed and shallow, which works fine for standard bottles, but wide bottles or pump flanges can feel cramped or tip over if you're not meticulous. And taking the lid off when it's full can be awkward; it's easy to knock things over if you're not careful.
If counter real estate is limited or you need flexibility for various bottle sizes and pump parts, it can be a bit picky, but if you're looking for a dependable, hands-off solution to bottle cleaning, the Baby Brezza is a solid pick. Dimensions 16.5 inches tall by 12.5 inches wide by 12.5 inches deep Bottle capacity recommendation Up to 4 Parts storage Fixed Cleaning modes 4 (Wash, Dry, Sterilize, and Full Cycle) Full cycle length 90 minutes Detergent Baby Brezza detergent tablets only Drainage method Internal water tank Sterile storage window HEPA-filtered chamber for up to 72 hours Water jets 20 high-pressure spray jets The Momcozy KleanPal Pro Baby Bottle Washer is sleek and looks as good on a countertop as any hefty tabletop washing machine can. It comes in a clean, soft white with teal accents and blends into most kitchen decor. In terms of appearance—and even some facets of performance—the Momcozy and the Grownsy machines are strikingly similar, though a few subtle differences set them apart. The analog on the front of the Momcozy bottle washer shows you how much time is left in the current mode it's running, rather than the whole cycle, which can be confusing if you're pressed for time and need clean bottles. The machine also has a rapid wash cycle option, which is a quick 19 minutes, but you can't pair Rapid Wash with Dry. To me, this kind of defeats the purpose of the quick-wash option; I'd probably just wash by hand if I needed bottles in a rush. But overall, the number of modes that the Momcozy can perform is more than the others. From observation, the Momcozy's water jets don't seem as powerful as those of its competitors. The spray appears gentler, which is great for noise control but made me question its cleaning power. I occasionally noticed some residue on intricate bottle and pump parts, especially compared to the Brezza, which definitely sounds like it's working hard. Dimensions 13.4 inches tall by 9.8 inches wide by 16.1 inches deep Bottle capacity recommendation Up to 4 Parts storage Adjustable Cleaning modes 4 modes (Quick Wash, Normal Wash, Sterilize and Dry, Storage) Full cycle length 99 minutes Detergent Momcozy detergent tablets only Drainage method Hose Sterile storage window HEPA-filtered chamber for up to 72 hours Water jets 26 high-pressure spray jets
Can I Wash Other Baby Items in a Bottle Washer? AccordionItemContainerButton
Yes. Check the instructions of the specific bottle washer you're using, but most machines can wash things like pacifiers, breast pump parts, and small toys and teethers, so long as the pieces are steam-resistant.
How Often Should I Clean a Baby Bottle Washer? AccordionItemContainerButton
It's a good idea to give your baby bottle washer a good cleaning every one to two months, especially if you start to notice milk residue or hard water buildup.
How Do I Clean a Baby Bottle Washer? AccordionItemContainerButton
Most manufacturers suggest running a cycle with a vinegar and water solution or a descaling product made for steam cleaners. Follow the instructions for your machine, and make sure to rinse all parts well afterward.
Do I Have to Use the Brand's Detergent Tablets? AccordionItemContainerButton
As far as we know, yes. All bottle washing machines are calibrated for their own dissolvable tablets.
Can I Wash Glass Bottles in a Bottle Washer? AccordionItemContainerButton
Yes. Just make sure the glass bottles are dishwasher-safe, and handle them carefully when loading and unloading, especially because glass will hold heat from the dryer. Also avoid sudden temperature swings (like moving an ice‑cold bottle straight into a hot cycle) to prevent cracking.
How Long Does a Typical Cleaning Cycle Take? AccordionItemContainerButton
Cleaning times vary by machine and by which mode(s) you choose. Expect a cycle to take from 20 minutes for a quick wash to about 90 minutes for a full wash-sterilize-dry cycle. AccordionItemContainerButton
I tested these bottle washing machines in my own kitchen as a new parent to a now 8-month-old, starting when my daughter was around 3 months. I tested each machine for at least a month, running two cleaning cycles a day early on when she was still taking bottles overnight. Now that she's sleeping through the night, we've settled into one full wash per day. I tested a variety of items—narrow and wide-neck bottles (both glass and plastic), breast pump parts, pacifiers, and teethers—to see how each machine handled different shapes, materials, and levels of breast-milk and formula residue.
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