5 Best Cleaning Brushes for Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups, and Water Bottles
These will help you clean even the tiny parts, like the grooves on a lid or the inside of a straw.
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Once you and your baby have settled on a favorite baby bottle or sippy cup, there is the matter of keeping it clean. Many pieces can be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher or in a bottle washer, but for quick turnarounds, you'll likely want to use a bottle brush to hand-wash items.
Our top picks:
• Best Overall: Oxo Tot Bottle Brush with Nipple Cleaner
• Best Value: Dr. Brown's Baby Bottle Brush with Sponge 3-Pack
• Best Silicone: Haakaa Silicone Bottle Brush
Your goal is to prevent germs as well as mold. Those kinds of problems aren't just unsanitary. "Yes, mold and bacteria can get your child sick. But a dirty bottle or sippy parts can also affect the taste of what you're serving," says Nicole Papantoniou, GH Kitchen Appliances Lab Director.
In case you're wondering: Yes, you can also use one of these to clean your own adult water bottle. You just shouldn't use the same bottle brush for both a baby's things and a grown-up's things—have one brush for the littles, one for the adults. "I love using a bottle brush to get into the bottoms of my cups, wine bottles, and water bottles," Papantoniou says. "They make it so much easier than using a sponge, and they don't hold onto smells the same way since they dry faster."
Best Deal
Pros
- Base catches dripping water
- Detail brush nestled in the handle doesn't get lost
- Foot-long, flexible handle helps you clean thoroughly
Cons
- Soft bristles mash down over time
Why we like it: This is our staff favorite thanks to the smaller cleaning brush that stashes so neatly in the end of the wand, and the stand that catches water drips before they pool on your counter. (It's easy to clean the stand as needed.)
We like that this brush combines soft bristles with firmer ones. It's a long-handled bottle brush, a little over a foot long, and the wand flexes a bit so you can really reach every part of a bottle.
Tester notes: "The nipple cleaner piece is essential," a mom of a 7-month-old told us, "and the little stand keeps you organized—always having a place to set the brush."
It got no complaints from our staff moms, but we noticed that some online reviewers wrote that the bristles can mash down over time. Still, it is Papantoniou's favorite. "I use the Oxo one all the time," she says.
Also from the brand: If you're looking for a brush that can handle water bottles with straw tops, see the brand's OXO Tot Water Bottle and Straw Cup Cleaning Set.
Features at a Glance
| Length | 12.5" |
| Material | Plastic |
Pros
- Sponge head lathers well
- Three-pack is a good deal
- Brush can hang on the inside of your sink
Cons
- The sponge top might wear down quickly
Why we like it: Some parents we polled swear by this sponge-top bottle brush, which lathers well and is softer than bristles. You get three bottle brushes in this affordable set, which has tens of thousands of five-star Amazon reviews.
Tester notes: "I just think it gets in the little crevices better," one mom of two told us. However, our former Home Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director, Carolyn Forté, cautions that sponges do break down faster than bristles do.
Rather than a detail brush, the small end of this wand is simply ridged plastic meant to scrape out the inside of a bottle nipple. The brush can stand upright in its suction-cup base, or you can suction that base to the side of your sink or fridge and hang the bottle brush from it—it works either way.
Also from the brand: If your baby uses Dr. Brown's bottles with the vent down the middle, the brand also sells detail brushes specifically made to clean the vents.
| Length | 10" |
| Material | Plastic |
Pros
- Soft silicone is nonabrasive
- Brush itself is easy to clean and sanitize
- Food doesn't get stuck in these nubs like it might in bristles
Cons
- Needs to rest in something or hang from a hook
- Soap will lather less with silicone
Why we like it: Some parents prefer silicone to plastic bristles. Silicone is nonabrasive, and the brush itself is very easy to clean and sanitize.
Food doesn't get stuck in the nubs, like it can with plastic, so it's also useful for cleaning out something with food inside, such as a child's thermos when it comes back in the lunchbox.
Tester notes: One end has a large head for cleaning bottles and cups, and the other end has a smaller head for cleaning nipples, spouts, and other details. Dish soap does not lather as much with silicone as opposed to a bristle brush or sponge-top brush, but that doesn't mean it's not working.
This brush can't stand on its own; you need to rest it in something such as an empty glass or mason jar. One online reviewer said she uses the loop on the nipple end to hang this from a hook she installed near the sink.
Features at a Glance
| Length | 10.4" |
| Material | Silicone and stainless steel |
Pros
- Looks like a pot of cacti on your sink
- Includes three detail brushes
- Matches back to other Boon baby products
Cons
- You might not need all four of the brushes
Why we like it: This wins for most adorable bottle brush set since it looks like a little collection of cacti on your counter. The largest cactus lifts up to reveal a bristled bottle brush head. The three smaller ones are various detail brushes for scrubbing straws, bottle nipples, and the threading where a bottle top meets the bottom.
Tester notes: The brushes are effective, able to reach surfaces inside bottle nipples and sippy straws. They sit in a drainage pot that catches drips and keeps them from your counter. The brushes themselves can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
You might not have a use for all four of the brushes, but it doesn't hurt to have them!
Also from the brand: If you like the faux-garden effect you could pair it with Boon's Lawn, a countertop drying rack that mimics a rectangle of green grass.
| Length | 10.8" for the main brush |
| Material | Polypropylene |
Pros
- Way to clean valves, vents, threading, and other details
- Affordable add-on cleaning tool
- Brushes hang on a key chain, like a set of measuring spoons
Cons
- You'll still need a big bottle brush as well
Why we like it: Let's get to the details! If you've got bottles, sippies, or straw cups that call for extra-skinny bottle brushes that can reach deep into vents and straws, this accessories set is made for just that.
To scrub the inside of the main part of a baby bottle you will still want one of the larger brushes on our list, but this is an excellent add-on purchase for the smaller pieces.
Tester notes: The fattest one is made especially to clean the threading around the inside of a sippy-cup lid. Clean freaks as well as parents who never pictured themselves scrubbing a breast pump valve end up loving this set, which hangs together from a key chain.
You are likely to use some of the brushes more than others, so some brushes may wear faster than others. Some reviewers are disappointed that they have to rebuy a whole set to replace just one brush. But the price is so low, we think it's still worth it.
Also from the brand: Munchkin sells a high capacity drying rack if you need to let parts air dry.
Features at a Glance
| Length | 8" for the longest brush |
| Material | Plastic |
How I chose the best baby bottle brushes
I gathered input from GH Lab experts, including Papantoniou in the Kitchen & Cooking Lab and Forté from the Home Care & Cleaning Lab, and polled colleagues who are parents of young kids to learn what’s working best for them. I also reviewed each item on this list, considering design, materials and ease of use, and pored over retailer reviews to understand long-term performance and durability.
What to consider when shopping for a baby bottle brush
Your baby's bottle brush won't be an expensive purchase, and these brushes all work the same way, with dish soap, warm water, and a little elbow grease. The things to think about are:
✔️ Materials: The brushes on this list are either made from straightforward BPA-free plastic, specific plastic such as polypropylene (durable and heat-resistant), nylon (for flexible bristles), or silicone, which is a synthetic rubber. Silicone is less abrasive than plastic or nylon, but many people prefer the way that plastic bristles and sponges lather.
In our experience, there is no specific brush that is best for glass bottles, silicone bottles, or plastic bottles. You can use any kind of bottle brush on any kind of baby bottle.
✔️ Size: All the brushes on this list are between 8 and 13 inches long. Some people find longer brushes to be easier to use, especially if they're also doubling to wash tall water bottles.
We like bottle brushes that are sold with at least one detail brush for cleaning small parts. But it's also possible to buy detail brushes separately.
✔️ Storage: From a practical standpoint we like bottle brushes that come with a base for storage.
How to Clean a Bottle Brush
For advice on cleaning the brush itself, we turned to Forté:
"Washing a bottle brush in either the dishwasher or by hand works well. If using the dishwasher, you just have to be sure to place it in securely so it doesn't fall through the rack or block the middle spray arm from turning," Forté said.
"As for replacing a brush, it doesn't have to be replaced as frequently as a sponge. Sponges are more difficult to clean and trap particles and bacteria inside," Forte says. "Bristle brushes are more durable and easier to clean. A brush should be replaced when the bristles get bent or misshapen or begin to fall out."
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn is the mom of two young adults. She's been reviewing baby and kid products for 25 years, previously as an editor and writer for Parents magazine and before that, American Baby magazine.
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