How to Clean Breast Pump Parts Correctly (CDC Guidelines, Step by Step)

Germs can grow quickly in breast milk residue left on pump parts, which is why the CDC publishes a specific method for keeping a pump kit clean. It is not complicated, but the details matter. This is the routine, step by step, following the CDC's current guidance: How to Clean and Sanitize Breast Pumps (CDC).

Before you pump

• Wash your hands with soap and water.
• Inspect the kit as you assemble it. If tubing looks moldy, discard and replace it — tubing cannot be cleaned well enough to keep using.
• If you use a shared pump, wipe the dials, power switch and countertop with a disinfectant wipe.

After every use — the cleaning steps

1. Store the milk first: cap the collection bottle or seal the bag, label it with the date and time, and refrigerate or freeze it right away.
2. Take the kit apart, separating every part that touched your breast or milk.
3. Rinse each part under running water to remove milk residue. Do not rest parts directly in the sink.
4. Wash as soon as you can, one of two ways: by hand, in a wash basin used only for pump kits and infant feeding items (not the sink itself), with hot, soapy water and a brush kept for that job alone; or in the dishwasher, if the parts are dishwasher-safe, on hot water with a heated drying cycle, with small pieces in a closed-top basket or a mesh bag.
5. After hand-washing, rinse under running water and place parts on a clean paper towel or a clean, unused towel to air-dry. Do not rub or pat them dry with a dish towel — that can transfer germs back onto clean parts.
6. Wash the basin and brush too, and let them air-dry. Clean them in the dishwasher or with hot, soapy water regularly.

One popular shortcut to skip: putting used parts in the refrigerator to deal with later. Refrigeration slows bacteria but does not stop them, and the CDC does not treat rinsed, refrigerated parts as a safe substitute for washing after every use.

Sanitize once a day

Cleaning removes milk residue and most germs; sanitizing is the extra step that removes more. The CDC recommends sanitizing pump parts at least once a day, and says it is especially important when your baby is younger than 2 months, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system.

Use whichever method fits your parts and the manufacturer's instructions:

• Boil: place parts in water and boil for 5 minutes.
• Steam: use a microwave steam bag or an electric steamer made for pump parts.
• Dishwasher: run a hot-water cycle with heated drying, or use the sanitize setting.

Wash your hands before you take sanitized parts out, and let them air-dry completely on a clean surface.

Store parts dry — never damp

Only put parts away once they are completely dry; damp parts stored in a closed space are where mold grows. Keep them in a clean, protected spot — a covered container reserved for feeding items — until the next session.

Where a bottle washer fits in

The method above is the standard, whatever tools you use. A countertop system like MOOBBI Wash exists to run the wash, sterilize and dry sequence as one cycle — the same jobs, without the basin-and-rack routine at every session. What matters is that every part is cleaned after every use, sanitized daily, and stored fully dry.

Setting up a night routine around pumping and bottles? Read The 3 A.M. Feed: A Night-Feeding Routine That Actually Works.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "How to Clean and Sanitize Breast Pumps" — https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/about-breast-pump-hygiene.html (accessed October 2026).