Bottle Washer vs. Sterilizer: What’s the Difference and Do You Need Both?

I didn’t have a bottle washer or a bottle sterilizer with my first baby. I washed all of his bottles by hand, sterilized new bottles in a big pot of boiling water, and survived just fine.

Then my mother-in-law gave me a Momcozy bottle washer when I had my second baby, and I became obsessed with it. We run it about twice a day, and it washes, sterilizes, and dries everything in the same cycle. I joke that it saved my marriage, which is obviously an exaggeration, but after washing Dr. Brown’s bottles and all of their little parts by hand with my first, having a machine do it for me feels pretty incredible.

So I have a somewhat unusual perspective on the bottle washer vs. sterilizer debate: I don’t think you need either one. But if you’re going to buy one, I would choose a bottle washer that also sterilizes and dries every single time.

If you’re comparing a bottle washer vs sterilizer, here’s the difference between the two, what my bottle-cleaning routine looked like with each of my babies, and why I think a bottle washer is worth the splurge if you’re going to be bottle feeding regularly.

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What’s the Difference Between a Bottle Washer and a Sterilizer?

A bottle washer and bottle sterilizer do two different jobs.

A bottle washer actually cleans your bottles. It uses water and detergent to remove formula, milk, and residue from bottles, nipples, and bottle parts.

A traditional bottle sterilizer does not wash your bottles. Your bottles still need to be cleaned first, and then the sterilizer uses steam or another method to sanitize them.

This distinction is important because when I had my first baby, I didn’t really see the point of buying a machine that only sterilized bottles. Washing them was the annoying part.

Now there are bottle washers that do much more. The Momcozy bottle washer I use with my second baby washes, sterilizes, and dries everything, so I’m not moving bottles between different appliances or doing multiple steps myself.

What I Did With My First Baby

With my first baby, our bottle-cleaning setup was very basic. We used Dr. Brown’s bottles, which I loved, but they come with quite a few little parts.

We kept a separate bowl in the sink for dirty bottles and bottle parts. I would let everything soak and then batch-wash it with baby dish soap and an OXO bottle brush. I didn’t use our dishwasher because dealing with all of the little bottle pieces in there didn’t feel worth it to me.

After everything was washed, I put it on a drying rack.

When we got new bottles, we sterilized them in a large pot of boiling water. I say “we,” but if I’m being completely honest, I usually made my husband do it because I found the whole process annoying.

Our pediatrician told us we didn’t need to sterilize our healthy baby’s bottles after every use, so I never felt like I needed a dedicated bottle sterilizer. We washed the bottles thoroughly and moved on.

It worked. I never felt like I was missing some essential piece of baby gear. This is the drying rack I use and love.

Then I Had a Second Baby and Got a Bottle Washer

With my second baby, my mother-in-law gave us the Momcozy bottle washer. I hadn’t used a bottle washer at all with my first, so I already knew I could live without one.

And now I never want to.

We use ours about twice a day. I can put the dirty bottles and all of their parts into the machine, and it washes, sterilizes, and dries them. Instead of standing at the sink washing individual bottle parts, I load the machine and let it do the work.

One of my favorite times to use it is after daycare. The dirty bottles come home, I put them straight into the bottle washer, and we have clean, dry bottles ready to use again.

It’s a small thing, but bottle feeding involves doing the same tasks over and over again every single day. Removing one of those repetitive chores from my routine has been incredibly convenient.

Do You Need a Bottle Washer?

No. I’m probably one of the biggest bottle washer fans you’ll meet, and I will still tell you that you do not need one.

I didn’t have one with my first baby. You can absolutely wash bottles by hand, and many bottles can also go in the dishwasher if the manufacturer says they’re dishwasher safe.

But “do you need it?” and “is it worth it?” are two different questions.

After bottle feeding one baby without a bottle washer and another with one, I think a bottle washer is absolutely worth considering if you plan to bottle feed regularly. It is especially useful if you’re exclusively bottle feeding or formula feeding and going through bottles all day long.

It’s a convenience product, not a necessity. But it’s one of those convenience products I would personally buy again.

Do You Need a Bottle Sterilizer?

I still wouldn’t buy a standalone bottle sterilizer.

This is where my opinion hasn’t really changed since my first baby. If I’m going to dedicate money and counter space to another baby appliance, I want it to solve the part of the process I actually find tedious: washing the bottles.

A traditional sterilizer doesn’t do that. You still have to clean everything before putting it into the sterilizer.

I go much deeper into this in my guide to whether you need a bottle sterilizer, but my basic opinion is that I wouldn’t buy an appliance that only sterilizes bottles.

Interestingly, I sterilize bottles much more frequently with my second baby than I did with my first. That isn’t because I suddenly decided bottles need to be sterilized constantly. It’s simply because sterilizing is built into the cycle on the bottle washer I already use.

Bottle Washer vs. Sterilizer: Which Would I Buy?

If I were choosing between a bottle washer and a standalone sterilizer, I would buy the bottle washer without hesitation.

More specifically, I would buy a bottle washer that also sterilizes and dries.

That gives me all three functions in one machine. I’m not washing bottles by hand and then moving them into a separate sterilizer. I load the dirty bottles, run the cycle, and take them out clean and dry.

I also like that I don’t need multiple appliances taking up counter space. Baby feeding gear already has a way of taking over the kitchen, so if I’m adding another appliance, I want it to do as much as possible.

What About a Bottle Washer vs. Dishwasher?

If you already have a dishwasher, you may be wondering why you would need a bottle washer at all.

You may not.

Many baby bottles and bottle parts are dishwasher safe, so your regular dishwasher can be a perfectly good option. I personally didn’t like using ours for bottles with my first baby because of all the small Dr. Brown’s pieces, and I also didn’t necessarily want to run our full dishwasher every time we needed bottles.

A bottle washer gives us a dedicated place to put all of those pieces and lets us run a smaller load whenever we need it.

Again, this comes down to convenience. If you’re already happily putting bottles in your dishwasher, I wouldn’t tell you that you need to buy another appliance just because bottle washers exist.

Is a Bottle Washer Worth It If You Formula Feed?

For me, yes.

I exclusively formula fed my second baby, which means bottles are obviously a major part of our daily routine. We’re not washing one occasional bottle. We’re cycling through them every day.

That’s where I think a bottle washer becomes much easier to justify. If you’re only using a bottle occasionally, a dedicated appliance might feel excessive. If you’re washing bottle after bottle every single day for months, saving yourself that work adds up.

I also think this is why I appreciate ours so much more after having my first baby without one. I know exactly what the alternative looks like because I spent months doing it.

What About Premature Babies?

My second baby was born at 33 weeks and spent just under two and a half weeks in the NICU. We weren’t given additional bottle-sterilizing instructions when she was discharged, but that was our specific situation and shouldn’t be taken as universal guidance for premature babies.

Babies who were born prematurely or who have certain medical conditions may have different bottle-cleaning and sanitizing recommendations. If that applies to your baby, follow the guidance you receive from your NICU team, pediatrician, or other healthcare provider rather than assuming someone else’s routine applies to you.

Ironically, we ended up sterilizing bottles more frequently with our second baby anyway because the sterilizing function is already part of the bottle washer cycle we use.

Does a Bottle Washer Mean You Need Fewer Bottles?

Potentially, yes.

One of the things I’ve learned after bottle feeding two babies is that you don’t necessarily need an enormous stash of bottles if you have an easy way to turn them around quickly.

Because we run our bottle washer regularly, dirty bottles don’t need to sit around waiting for a big hand-washing session. We can wash, sterilize, and dry a batch and have those bottles ready to use again.

That doesn’t mean I’d only own two bottles and spend my entire day running the machine, but an efficient washing routine can definitely make it easier to manage with a reasonable number of bottles.

What Should You Look for in a Bottle Washer?

If you decide to buy one, I would pay attention to what the machine actually does. “Bottle washer” can mean different things depending on the product.

Personally, I would want washing, sterilizing, and drying in the same machine. The whole reason I love having one is that it eliminates steps, so I wouldn’t want to wash the bottles in one appliance and then have to move them somewhere else to dry.

I’d also think about capacity, how many bottles and parts you typically use in a day, how much counter space the machine takes up, and whether it will realistically fit into your routine.

The goal should be to make bottle feeding easier, not add another complicated appliance that you rarely use.

Would I Put a Bottle Washer on My Baby Registry?

Knowing what I know now, yes.

I didn’t have one on my registry with my first baby, and I certainly don’t think every new parent needs one. If you’re trying to build a minimalist registry, there are plenty of true essentials I would prioritize first.

But if you know you’re planning to formula feed, exclusively pump, or use bottles frequently, I think a bottle washer that washes, sterilizes, and dries is a fantastic registry item.

It’s also the kind of product I would consider a great group gift because it’s more expensive than basic bottle-feeding supplies but can get used every single day.

My Bottom Line on Bottle Washers vs. Sterilizers

After bottle feeding two babies, one without a bottle washer and one with one, my answer is pretty simple.

I would skip the standalone sterilizer.

I would absolutely buy the bottle washer again.

You do not need a bottle washer to bottle feed a baby. I’m proof of that because I went through the entire bottle stage with my first baby without one. But now that I have a machine that washes, sterilizes, and dries the bottles for me, it’s one of those baby products that I genuinely love.

There are so many baby products marketed as things you “need,” and I don’t think a bottle washer belongs in that category. I would call it a nice-to-have that became one of my favorite conveniences.

And if you’re deciding between spending money on a machine that only sterilizes your already-clean bottles or one that actually washes them for you, I know which one I’m choosing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a bottle washer and a bottle sterilizer?

A bottle washer actually cleans milk, formula, and residue from bottles and bottle parts. A traditional sterilizer sanitizes bottles after they have already been cleaned. Some newer bottle washers combine washing, sterilizing, and drying in one machine.

Does a bottle sterilizer wash bottles?

No, a traditional bottle sterilizer does not wash bottles. You still need to thoroughly clean the bottles before sterilizing them. Combination machines are different because some can wash, sterilize, and dry in the same cycle.

Do I need both a bottle washer and a sterilizer?

I wouldn’t buy both. If you want washing and sterilizing functions, I would look for a bottle washer that also sterilizes and dries rather than buying two separate appliances.

Is a bottle washer necessary?

No. I washed bottles by hand with my first baby and never owned a bottle washer. With my second baby, however, I started using a bottle washer and became obsessed with the convenience. It’s a nice-to-have rather than an absolute necessity.

Is a bottle washer worth it?

I think it can be very worth it if you bottle feed frequently. We use ours about twice a day, and I love being able to put dirty bottles and all of their parts into the machine and have them come out clean, sterilized, and dry.

Can you use a dishwasher instead of a bottle washer?

Yes, if your bottles and bottle parts are dishwasher safe. A bottle washer may still be more convenient if you want a dedicated machine for feeding items, have lots of small bottle parts, or don’t want to run your full dishwasher every time you need clean bottles.

Should I put a bottle washer on my baby registry?

I would, especially if you expect to formula feed, exclusively pump, or use bottles frequently. I wouldn’t prioritize it over true newborn essentials, but after using one with my second baby, it’s a convenience product I would absolutely want again.

Is a bottle washer worth it for a second baby?

It was for me. I didn’t have one at all with my first baby, which is actually why I appreciate it so much with my second. I know I can wash everything by hand, but having a machine do the washing, sterilizing, and drying for me saves a repetitive chore that I was very happy to give up.