Breast Pump Care and Maintenance: How-To Guide
Cleaning and maintaining your breast pump machine is extremely important. After all, not only did the machine cost quite a bit of money, but it also comes into direct contact with your baby’s food supply during every use! Cleaning and caring for your breast pump machine ensures that it will work properly for a long time while also providing your baby with a safe, protected breast milk supply. Unfortunately, germs and bacteria can grow in old breast milk residue, so keeping your breast pump machine is a vital part of keeping your baby’s food supply safe and contaminant-free.
What Should You Do Before Each Breast Pump Use?
Before using your breast pump machine, take a moment to wash your hands thoroughly. You may also want to have some alcohol or disinfectant wipes on hand to wipe down any buttons or switches on your breast pump machine, particularly if the machine is being shared with anyone else.
Also, take a moment before pumping to inspect the tubing parts of the breast pump machine. Tubing can be a breeding ground for mold growth; if you notice any evidence of mold forming, immediately discard the tubing and seek replacements for your machine.
What Are the Basic Steps Involved in Cleaning a Breast Pump?
To clean a breast pump, you will need a few basic materials. Access to hot water, a basin, dish soap, and a drying rack will help you get the job done quickly and effectively. Avoid scrubbing your breast pump parts with a dishrag or cloth—these can carry a lot of bacteria you don’t want to introduce to your pump.
Firstly, you should consult your breast pump’s manual to determine which parts are safe to be rinsed, washed, and cleaned. Not all breast pump machines are designed the same, so it is important to understand what parts are safe to scrub with soap and water concerning your machine.
Next, you will place your washing basin inside the sink. Washing your breast pump machine’s parts in its own basin will eliminate any chances of cross-contamination with your kitchen sink. Since so many dishes, food scraps, and dishrags find their way into our kitchen sinks throughout the day, using a specified basin especially for washing your breast pump will eliminate the chance of sink germs or bacteria finding its way to your breast pump’s parts.
Once your basin is in the sink, you can begin running hot water into it. Add a generous amount of dish soap and begin to scrub each individual, washable part of the breast pump. Take your time and focus specifically on any ”trouble” spots where lingering droplets of breast milk may try to hide inside the parts of your breast pump.
Once you are satisfied with your scrubbing, rinse all of the breast pump parts in hot water once again. After all traces of dish soap are gone, you can place your breast pump parts on a drying rack to air dry. Much like when you clean baby bottles, you do not want to reassemble your breast pump machine’s parts until you are sure they are completely and totally dry. Reassembling still-wet breast pump parts can trap moisture inside the machine, leading to the growth of harmful mold that could be accidentally introduced into your milk supply.
How to Sanitize a Breast Pump
Similarly to baby bottles, breast pump parts are often top-rack dishwasher safe. After consulting your breast pump’s manual to make sure parts of it can be placed in the dishwasher, you can send it through for a second round of washing and through the sanitization cycle for extra cleanliness. However, it is still important to let all the pieces air dry once the cycle ends—don’t forget to take them out of the dishwasher and place it on the drying rack to allow proper air drying.
What Else Can I Do to Keep My Breast Pump Clean and Working Smoothly?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend storing your breast pump in a single location to minimize potential contact with outside contaminants. Some people prefer to keep theirs in a storage bag that is specifically dedicated to their breast pump machine and its accessories.
You should also take special care to wash the basin, cleaning brushes, and other tools you use to clean your breast pump at least once per week. Keeping your tools clean will ensure your breast pump isn’t being reintroduced to germs, bacteria, and other contaminants from previous washes.
Resources— The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
About The Author
