Which bottle brush works well for a glass baby bottle?

For a glass baby bottle, a brush with a built-in teat brush works best. It reaches the base, the screw thread and the teat in one go. Glass scratches less easily than plastic, so your choice is about reach rather than softness.

Why a brush is not optional with glass

Milk residue settles on the base and in the screw thread. A sponge never gets there. The Dutch Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) advises hot soapy water with a dedicated bottle brush, or a dishwasher at 55 °C or above.

Glass has an advantage here. The hard wall resists the small scratches in which bacteria settle. That is partly why a glass bottle lasts longer than a plastic one.

What to look for

• Reach to the base. The brush must touch the whole inside, even in a narrow bottle.
• A teat brush with it. The teat and the valve hold residue the longest.
• Easy to clean itself. Rinse it under a hot tap or put it in the dishwasher.
• A firm handle. With a 250 ml bottle or larger you do not want it bending halfway.

The 2-in-1 Deluxe bottle brush has an integrated teat brush for the teat and the tricky corners. The brush itself goes under a hot tap or in the dishwasher.

Cleaning a glass baby bottle step by step

The Dutch Nutrition Centre works with four steps. Rinse the bottle and teat with cold water straight after the feed. Then wash them in a dishwasher at 55 °C or above, or in hot soapy water with a bottle brush. Rinse with warm water to remove soap residue.

Let the bottle and teat dry upside down on a clean, dry cloth. That cold pre-rinse matters, because milk proteins start to set from around 40 °C. Our step-by-step guide to cleaning a baby bottle covers the detail.

Brush, dishwasher or steriliser?

A dishwasher at 55 °C handles the daily work well. Even so, the water does not always reach everywhere, least of all the teat and the base. A quick brush first stays useful. Do check the label of your own bottle.

Sterilising is something else than cleaning: it comes after, not instead. Still weighing up materials? Compare glass and plastic bottles, or browse the glass baby bottles.

Tip: borosilicate glass is impact-resistant but not unbreakable. Keep the bottle away from the edge of the worktop and brush firmly without forcing it.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a special brush for glass bottles?

No, a standard bottle brush is fine. Glass scratches less easily than plastic. Focus on reach to the base and on a teat brush.

Can a glass baby bottle go in the dishwasher?

Usually yes, at 55 °C or above. Rinse it with cold water first and take all the parts apart. Check the label of your own bottle.

How often should you replace a bottle brush?

There is no fixed interval. Replace it once the bristles splay or fall out, because then it no longer reaches anything.