Keeping your pump parts clean is important for keeping your child healthy and allowing you to store your milk safely.

A Deeper Look:

Most, if not all, breast pump kits come with manuals directing you to wash and sanitize some or all of the included pump parts before their first use.  Follow your specific breast pump kit manual for the proper sanitization process.

General Cleaning Tips
Once you have used the pump parts to pump with, the CDC recommends rinsing all pump parts that have come into contact with your breast or milk under running water and then cleaning the parts in either a dishwasher (using hot water and a heated drying/sanitizing setting) or by hand in a wash basin that is designated solely for infant feeding items.  Although the recommendation to clean this way is intended to prevent harmful bacteria in your sink from coming into contact with infant feeding items, it is also much easier to clean baby bottles and pump parts that have had time to soak, especially if you use bottles with many parts because it may prevent some of the smaller bottle parts from escaping down the drain as you scrub the slippery pieces!  

Tubing
Many pump manufacturers do not recommend cleaning the tubing.  If you have a back flow protector, chances are you are not supposed to clean your tubing.  Check the manual for your specific pump for accurate directions.

Cleaning
When you are ready to clean your pump parts, completely disassemble (that means separating the valve and valve membrane!) and rinse under running water all pump parts that have come into contact with your breast or milk.  Then place the parts into a wash basin designated only for infant feeding items.  Add hot water and soap to the wash basin and allow the pump parts to soak for a few minutes before scrubbing the parts with a clean cloth or brushes used only for infant feeding items.  Take care to use only brushes intended for bottles or pump parts because some brushes may leave scratches that give bacteria an easy place to hide.  Next, rinse items under warm running water and remove all traces of soap before (1) placing them to air dry on an unused paper towel in an area protected from dirt and dust or (2) placing them into a sterilizer and sterilizing them.  

Sanitizing
If you decide to sterilize your pump parts, which the CDC recommends doing once a day especially if your baby is less than 3 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system, you can do so using a steam container or bag in the microwave, a machine intended for sterilization, or with boiling water.  Some pump manufacturers, like Medela, even recommend sanitizing your pump parts once a day.  Check your specific pump part manufacturer for directions on how to safely sanitize your pump parts.  If you choose to boil your pump parts, place all items for sterilization in a pot and cover with water, bring the water to a boil and boil the items for 5 minutes before removing them with clean tongs.  You should also sanitize your bottle brushes and wash basin!  Although the FDA has stated that microwave sterilizers do not meet the FDA definition of sterilization, it acknowledges that the “sterilizers” still sanitize the parts, “which is sufficient for processing between uses for a single user.”

Drying
Once you have cleaned and/or sterilized your pump parts, you will want to allow them to dry thoroughly, on an unused paper towel or unused dish towel in an area protected from dirt and dust.  The CDC specifies that pump parts should be allowed to air dry because drying with a cloth could reintroduce bacteria to the pump parts.  Pump parts should be stored in a clean dry area when not in use, and your wash basin and bottle brush should be cleaned and rinsed well before they air dry.  Before reassembling your pump parts, make sure that all pieces are completely dry.

Dishwasher
If you want to clean your pump parts using a dishwasher, you should first make sure this method of cleaning is recommended by your pump parts manufacturer.  For example, Freemie recommends skipping the dishwasher and steam bags to keep the Freemie cups in top shape but boiling the cups periodically to keep the parts fitting snugly together is recommended.  If the dishwasher is recommended by your parts manufacturer, likely your pump parts should be placed only on the top rack of the dishwasher.  To keep your parts contained, use a mesh laundry bag or closed-top container.  Choose a cycle with hot water (or a sanitizing cycle) and a heated drying cycle.

Both sanitization and the dishwasher can degrade pump parts more quickly.  This does NOT mean you should avoid sterilizing them if necessary, it just means you should consider that factor when determining what method of cleaning to use. 

Cleaning Your Pump Motor
If your pump motor is dirty, wipe the outside of the machine carefully with a clean, damp cloth.  Never put your pump into water or other liquids for cleaning and never attempt to sterilize your pump motor in the microwave.

The EP&Me Take:

Admittedly, I was a bit neurotic about cleaning my pump parts, especially the first three months.  I followed all the recommendations to a T, and then some (for example, my hospital told me not to let my pump parts air dry on a clean cloth towel because it still had the potential for more germs than an unused paper towel).  To make things easier on myself, I set up a wash and dry station.

On one side of my sink I had a wash basin used just for bottles and my pump parts, bottle brushes, and the soap I used.  I personally used the basins that came with the Medela pump kit I received at the hospital, but later on I purchased a Medline Wash Basin, which worked just as well.  I hung the smaller brushes using mini suction cups on our backsplash.  On the other side of the sink I initially laid out unused paper towels but as my Little got older, I used the boon grass and boon spring for drying bottle and pump parts.  Next to that I had a small drying mat that I kept the microwave sterilizer on as well as the bottle warmer.  This prevented water puddles from the sterilizer (which would leak water immediately after use but before opening) and from pulling bottles out of the bottle warmer.

I personally cleaned them by hand and sterilized them in my microwave sterilizer nightly the entire time pumped and fed my Little by bottle.  An alternative option to a microwave sterilizer or air drying is to purchase a steam sterilizer and dryer, such as the Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer.  When I needed to store clean pump parts I utilized large plastic Glad containers.  For some reason, my these containers drew my Little in like a magnet, so I was often running to hide them in a cabinet or under a blanket!

Here are my favorite cleaning and cleaning related items: 

Bottle Brush: Oxo Tot Bottle Brush with Nipple Cleaner and Stand
For Hanging brushes on a backsplash: Suction Cup Hangers
Sterilizers: Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Bottle Sterilizer and Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer 
Wash Basins: Medline Wash Basin and Collapsible Wash Basin (for cleaning parts while at work or traveling)
Baby Soap: Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Baby Unscented) (I made the soap as directed on the bottle (just add water) and placed it in an old foaming hand soap container and voila! Baby friendly soap)
Drying Racks: Boon Drying Rack Lawn Countertop Bundle and Boon Drying Rack (Travel Size)
Flowers to stick in the Boon Grass: Pink and White
Twig to stick in the Boon Grass: White
Bottle Drying Rack: Boon Spring Countertop Drying Rack (cactus)

All this cleaning can be quite drying on your hands, so I also recommend keeping a moisturizing hand lotion by the sink.  Do you have a cleaning item you love or a favorite way to set up your wash and dry station? If you do, I would love to hear it!  Good Luck Mama!