As a new parent, it’s common to be confused about the type of detergents to clean your child’s feeding bottles. Although this is common for all kinds of baby products like spoons, sippy cups, clothes, shoes, etc., the feeding bottles are the most crucial ones as your baby feeds from them.
In that case, if you’re wondering whether can I use regular dishwasher detergent for baby bottles or not, here’s what you should know:
You should never use regular detergents to wash baby bottles. That is because regular detergents usually contain harsh chemicals and harmful ingredients, which is highly detrimental. Instead, you should always wash your baby’s bottles with recommended detergent and treat them accordingly.
Okay, that’s understandable, but you might want to use a dishwasher to clean the bottle instead of going manual. So, if you want to know which detergent you should use alongside the usability of the dishwasher, stay tuned. We’re discussing your baby’s feeding bottle today.
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Can I Use Regular Dishwasher Detergent For Baby Bottles?
Many parents love to wash baby products manually, and some prefer to use a dishwasher for cleaning baby bottles that won’t damage the bottle’s healthy integrity. No matter what method you follow, you must use the appropriate dishwasher as well as the right detergent to clean baby bottles and other feeding materials.
Although many parents use regular dishwasher detergent to wash or clean baby products, this should be avoided. Since there are many safe detergents available for baby product cleaning, you should use them instead of regular harsh detergents.
However, if you want to know why you should use a specific detergent and why not use regular detergent, here are the reasons:
Why You Should Never Use Regular Detergents?
Wondering why you should not use regular dishwasher detergent for your baby bottle? Here we’ve included some of the reasons, have a look:
Regular Detergent Have Fragrance:
One of the major reasons not to use regular detergent for cleaning baby bottles is because of fragrance. Fragrances can contain phthalates which are particularly harmful and can also harm the baby. Plus, the fragrance might make the bottle smell bad and your baby might end up not loving to feed in it again.
Numbered Dyes:
You don’t need to use any detergent that contains dyes or colors to clean your baby product. Dye is one type of ingredient that you’ll find in regular detergent but not in the baby product cleaning-related detergent. Moreover, dyes are also a harmful ingredient that can harm your baby and their skin.
Antibacterial Agents:
You should never use regular detergent to clean your baby bottle as regular detergent contains triclosan and benzalkonium chloride. These ingredients are harmful, and they can cling to the bottle even after rinsing, which will have a negative impact on your baby’s health.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate:
Most regular detergents are packed with Sodium Laureth Sulfate which is responsible for skin irritation and organ system toxicity. And this ingredient can also cling to the bottle after rinsing it properly which can also cause endocrine disruption as well.
Parabens:
Parabens are another harmful incident that you’ll easily find in regular detergent. However, they are pretty harmful and can cause endocrine disruption, cancer and even organ-system toxicity as well. So it’s better to use specific baby products that don’t have unsafe components like parabens.
Methylisothiazolinone:
Methylisothiazolinone is another common ingredient that you’ll find in regular detergents. It’s harmful and can cause neurotoxicity, allergies, and lung toxicity. That’s why you should not use regular detergent for baby products.
Note:- These are some of the common ingredients that you might find in regular detergent. And this is why you should never use any type of regular detergent for cleaning your baby’s feeding bottle and other baby products.
Benefits of Using Specific Detergents
Throughout the above section, we’ve tried to explain why you should never use regular detergent to clean your baby bottles. However, if you use special detergents made for baby product cleaning, you’ll find no harmful ingredients on them. Here are some of the benefits you’ll get by using specific detergent to clean your baby bottle, have a look:
No Harmful substances:
One of the core reasons to use specific detergents to clean your baby product is because they don’t contain any harmful ingredients. Specific detergents don’t contain harsh components like triclosan, phthalates, and many more.
Made With Natural Ingredients:
Most of the specific detergent made for baby product cleaning is manufactured with natural ingredients. And environment-friendly ingredients like plant and mineral sourced cleaning materials are safe to use for all types of baby products.
Doesn’t Leave Any Spot:
Specific detergents for baby products are made to ensure effortless cleaning. And they leave baby products spot-free after washing. Moreover, specific detergents also help to remove the stench of residue as well.
Easy Cleaning:
Since specific baby detergents are not made of harsh chemicals, they offer the most effortless cleaning method. And the good thing is these specific detergents are automatic dishwasher friendly too.
Free from Skin Irritation and Itches:
Since specific baby cleaning producers don’t have any harmful chemicals, they will not create any types of skin irritation and itchy issues.
How Do You Wash Baby Bottles In The Dishwasher
Instead of manually washing your dishes or cooking-related stuff, using a dishwasher is one of the innovative processes. The dishwasher will automatically wash things. And if you want to use a dishwasher to wash baby bottles, follow the section below for guidance:
Ensure the Product Safety:
Before putting the bottle in a dishwasher, the very first thing you have to ensure is that the bottle is dishwasher safe. That means the bottle needs to be capable enough to withstand the high temperatures of a dishwasher. However, if it’s tough for you to determine if the product is dishwasher safe or not, you better wash it manually.
Placement:
Once you’ve ensured that your baby bottle is safe enough to wash in the dishwasher, it’s time to place the bottle safely. You should place the bottle and other baby items in the top rack, which will keep the product away from the heat source. Place the bottle in a face-down position.
Secure the Items:
Placing the bottle in the top rack is not enough as you also have to secure the bottles. You can use other dish items to secure the bottle, which will help to prevent the bottles from falling down.
Place the Bottle Nipple Properly:
Now you have to place all the small items like nipples, rings, and valves in a dishwasher safe basket. Doing this will help keep the small parts safe from falling, which can melt the items.
Use a Baby-Safe Detergent:
It’s time to put in the most important component which is dish detergent. In that case, you have to use safe, harsh ingredients free and bio-based detergent to wash your baby bottle in a dishwasher.
Dry the Bottles:
It’s time to fire up the dishwasher, and you have to run it on the longest drying cycle. Or if possible run the bottle on warm water and a heated drying cycle. Moreover, you can also select the sanitizing setting as well.
This is how you can clean your baby bottle and other baby products in a dishwasher. Once the washing process is done, remove the bottle and other parts and dry them with a dishcloth.
Safety Tips While Cleaning Baby Bottles In The Dishwasher
While using a dishwasher to wash your baby bottles, there are some safety measurements that you have to maintain. Wondering what are those safety tips? Follow the section below to discover them:
- Always read the dishwashing detergent label and don’t forget to follow the instructions.
- Never put any sharp items in the utensil basket and near your baby products.
- If you use a glass bottle for your baby, make sure it is properly placed which will prevent chipping and breaking.
- Don’t overload the dishwasher by putting more product than the dishwasher’s capacity.
- You also need to be careful about prolonged use as it can create overheating issues.
- During loading and unloading baby bottles and other items, be sure to close the dishwasher door to prevent tripping accidents.
- Never mix any dishwashing detergent with other cleaning solutions at the same time.
There are many other dishwasher safety tips you can follow to clean your baby bottle properly. And another thing you can do is follow the manual to perform your baby bottle and other product cleanings.
Frequently Asked Questions
While getting the guides into the process, some common questions may appear in your mind. So if you have any questions about cleaning your baby bottles and other products, follow these FAQs:
Is it Ok to Wash Baby Bottles With Dawn?
Unlike other detergents or dish soap, Dawn does not contain harsh chemicals or other bad substances. Hence, Dawn does not leave any soap residue once you rinse the bottle appropriately, which means it’s safe to use for washing your baby bottles.
Is Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Safe for Babies?
Seventh Generation Dishwasher detergent is a bio-based and USDA Certified detergent that is completely safe for babies. This detergent is safe as it has no dyes, no fragrance, and no chlorine bleach as well. Altogether, you’ll be able to wash your baby bottles perfectly with this detergent.
What Is the Safest Dishwasher Detergent?
Do you want to know about some of the safest baby dishwasher detergents? In that case, these are some of the safe and reliable detergents that you can use to clean your baby products:
- Puracy Platinum Dishwasher Detergent Pods
- Seventh Generation Fragrance Free Dishwasher Detergent Pack
- Dapple Dishwasher Pods, Pack of 2
- Grab Green Natural Automatic Dishwashing Detergent Powder
- Better Life Natural Dishwasher Gel Detergent, Pack of 2
Conclusion
Ensuring proper hygiene of your baby products like bottles, spoons, cups, should be flawless. You have to wash or sanitize your baby’s products on a daily basis without damaging them or causing a bad smell.
In that case, you can follow both manual cleaning and dishwasher cleaning methods to clean your baby product like bottles. However, when it’s about cleaning bottles, now you know whether can you use regular dishwasher detergent for baby bottles or not.
So always try to use specific cleaning products to clean your baby’s items and don’t forget to follow appropriate cleaning methods.
