, particularly for baby bottles, have become increasingly popular over the past few years as an alternative to plastic bottles. Though durable and more attractive than plastic, glass can also harbor microorganisms that cause illness or food spoilage. Sterilizing glass bottles is possible and can be done with a little guidance and common household items and cleaners.
Instructions
Sterilization
1. Use a dishwasher. If you do not have a dishwasher, skip to Step 2. Dish washing machines are able to subject glass bottles to higher temperatures than human hands can stand and can sustain those temperatures longer. Typically, the interior of a dishwasher reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough to kill off most microorganisms. Beyond that, the drying cycle is also hot, maintaining very high temperatures for an average of 10 to 30 minutes. Ensure that bottles placed in the washer are mouth down (opening down) to allow the water to enter the bottle, but not remain once washing is done.
2. Use hot, and a mild liquid detergent to soak the bottles in the soapy water for a minimum of 5 minutes to loosen contaminants. Using a bottle brush, scrub the interior of the bottles thoroughly, using a twisting motion while the brush is inside the bottle. Rinse the bottles in hot, clean water.
3. Pour 3/4 cup of bleach into 2 gallons of very hot water (around 120 degrees F or more). Put on the rubber dish washing gloves to protect and insulate your hands. Submerge the bottles into the water so that they are completely covered by the water and air bubbles are not present. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in hot, clean water. Allow the bottles to air dry in a dish drying rack.
4. Sterilize your bottle brush. After the bottles have been removed from the water, place your bottle brush into the bleach solution for at least 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in hot water and allow to air dry.
Tags: bottle brush, clean water, bottles have, glass bottles, minutes Rinse, minutes Rinse thoroughly, Rinse thoroughly