Cleaning Breast Pumps

As you pump, some of the fat or cream of the milk will stick to the pumps and may find its way into the many cracks and crevices of the breast pumps. So, cleaning your breast pump is very important to keep the pump working at top notch and for the safety of your baby.

>> Finding the Best Breast Pump: The Definitive Guide

After each pumping session

Clean the following with hot water and anti-bacterial soap:

• Both breasts shields

• Both valves

• Both membranes

Each day, sterilize:

• Both breast shields

• Both valves

• Both membranes

• Tubes

Every few days:

• Take the diaphragm apart

• Gently wipe the diaphragm with a wet towel

• Wipe the whole case inside out

What to do if you find a mold?

• Clean the infected parts with hot water and soap as well as you can, then wipe well with a wet cloth

• Sterilize the parts in boiling water

• Run diluted bleach, ½ bleach and ½ water, through the tubing, and also rinse the remaining parts with the diluted bleach;

• To remove the harsh chemicals, rinse the parts well with hot water for several minutes.

• Dry the parts as well as possible.

If these methods are not feasible, you can resort to the last alternative which is to throw it away and purchase a new pump. Most of the time, by following the above cleaning precautions, you can prevent any mold from accumulating in your breast shields where your tubing connects. Thus, always inspect this area closely whenever you clean the parts.