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Steam Sterilizers vs UV Sterilizers

Every parent knows how important it is to sterilize the products their baby puts in their mouth in order to keep them healthy. But with so many different sterilizers on the market, it can be confusing to distinguish which product is best for keeping your baby safe. Baby Brezza has broken down the difference between different ways to sterilize to help you make a more informed decision about the best sterilizing approach for you.

There are many traditional approaches to sterilizing baby products that your parents likely used such as boiling hot water or using a microwave steam bag. But these methods are time consuming and potentially unsafe. Using boiling water can take a long time because you need to boil the water, then keep pressing the bottles down under the water so all surfaces get cleaned. Keep in mind bottles float because they are filled with air. Microwave steam bags have limited capacity and can easily burn your hands when you first open from the microwave since they are filled with steam. Be careful :) 

Is Sterilizing Baby Bottles Necessary?

It is very important to thoroughly sterilize your baby’s bottles. Sterilizing kills any remaining microscopic bacteria that might have been missed during the cleaning process. Moreover, not doing so will allow bacteria to develop on the feeding equipment which can lead to infections. Sanitizing bottles is particularly important when your baby is younger than 2 months.

 

How Often Should I Sterilize Baby Bottles?

According to the CDC, baby bottles should always be sterilized before using them for the first time. After that, bottles should be sterilized at least once daily if your baby is less than 3 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system.

 

How Effective are Bottle Sterilizers?

Electric sterilizers have many advantages over traditional methods, as they do all of the work for you, usually have larger capacity, and take a lot less time and effort. However, not all sterilizer machines are created equal. Read on to learn the differences between steam sterilizers UV vs Steam sterilizers.

Steam Sterilizers

How Long Does it Take to Steam Sterilize Bottles?

Steam sterilizers are the gold standard sterilizing appliance. They use natural steam to effectively kill 99.99% of bacteria and they're fast (taking only 8 minutes to steam sterilize).

Since steam spreads quickly throughout the machine, all surfaces of your baby's bottles or accessories and your pump parts are sterilized regardless of their shape. Steam sterilizers also have a large capacity, holding up to 8 bottles and multiple pump part sets, so you only need to run them once a day. 

Some steam sterilizers also include an integrated dryer, so you can sterilize and dry your baby's products at the push of 1 button -- talk about time-savings! 

UV Sterilizers

UV bottle sterilizers use ultraviolet (UV) light instead of steam to sterilize baby products. Though UV light effectively kills bacteria like steam, its effectiveness is determined by where the light shines.

Which is Better: Steam or UV Sterilizer?

UV light only kills germs if it directly shines on the product surface containing bacteria. Unlike steam which is a gas and can easily spread across the entire surface of a bottle or pump part regardless of shape, UV light can't. It only shines up and down in a straight path so if the product's surface isn't directly above or below the light, it won't likely get sterilized. Since many baby products are curved, there's a likelihood that not all surfaces will be cleaned.  

Additionally, some UV sterilizers require very long cleaning times, upwards of 60 minutes, to kill 99.9% of germs. UV sterilizers also tend to be smaller than steam sterilizers so you'll need to use more often to sterilize the same amount of bottles, pump parts or accessories. So if you're going to use a UV Sterilizer, be aware of these concerns. 

Is a UV Light Sterilizer Safe for Baby Bottles?

Some UV Light including UVC light can degrade the plastics oftentimes used in bottles and pump parts including polypropylene (abbreviated as PP) and low-density Polyethylene (abbreviated as LDPE). These UV rays can break the bonds within the plastic and cause cracking or discoloration. In fact, many bottle brands specifically recommend against using UV sterilizers on their products, as the rays can seriously decrease the durability of the bottles. 

Baby Brezza Steam Sterilizers and Sterilizer Dryers

Baby Brezza sells a family of steam sterilizers and sterilizer dryers to help ensure all baby accessories are sterilized and in some cases, dried quickly and easily. Our sterilizers use natural steam to kill 99.99% of bacteria without chemicals, are BPA-free, and work with all brands of bottles, pump parts and accessories. And several also automatically dry whatever is sterilized, so you can sterilize and dry your baby's bottles and your pump parts at the press of a button. Plus products remain sterilized for up to 24 hours inside. Click here to compare all Baby Brezza models.

Which Is the Most Efficient Sterilizer for Bottles?

Baby Brezza’s most efficient steam sterilizers include:

One Step Sterilizer Dryer Advanced

The One Step Baby Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer Advanced is our most advanced way to sterilize and dry baby products. It kills 99.9% of germs with steam, then automatically dries 33% faster. It also has the largest capacity of any sterilizer, holding 8 bottles and 2 full pump part sets. This revolutionary appliance also includes a HEPA filter so it dries with clean air that's 99.99% free of germs. And it's modular so you can use it 4 different ways.

One Step Sterilizer

The One Step Baby Bottle Sterilizer is a great option for parents who want a steam sterilizer but do not need an integrated dryer. This appliance has the largest capacity, holding up to 8 baby bottles and 2 pump part sets, and can be used 4 different ways because it's modular. 

Good luck finding the right sterilizer for your family to ensure you baby stays healthy.

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