In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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We tested brushes from trusted brands like OXO, Dr. Brown's, and Boon to find the best scrubbers
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Abriah Wofford ⋅ Senior Research Analyst ⋅ Apr 16, 2024
The Best Baby Bottle Brushes
A trusty baby bottle brush can be a game-changer. After researching over 30 prospects, we purchased the 12 best bottle brushes available today to test hands-on and compare side-by-side. We focused on each brush's eco-friendliness, durability, and cleaning ability, especially to reach all those nooks and crannies of baby bottles and favorite breast pump parts. After hours of scrubbing and cleaning various items, big and small, we discovered that each brush has its strengths and weaknesses, depending on the task. Read on to see what we determined to be our favorite contenders and what we would use in our homes.
Of all the brushes we've used, the OXO Tot Brush is our favorite. The plastic wiggle bristles are the ideal balance between soft and stiff, allowing you to get a good scrub without flinging water everywhere. The long, rubber-coated handle can reach the bottom of taller bottles, and you can throw it in the dishwasher for cleaning. One of our favorite features is the nylon bristles of nipple cleaner that does a superior cleaning job. When not in use, it screws into the handle of the larger brush and snaps securely into place, so there is no chance of losing it. We love the sturdy base that provides a place to store the brush when everything is squeaky clean.
The OXO Tot Brush is plastic, which we try to avoid due to health and environmental concerns. If you want to skip the plastic, the Redecker Beechwood Brush is a natural bristles brush with a wood handle. The OXO nipple brush is also tricky to remove as it requires you to press a button and twist the neck simultaneously, and we struggled to do it with one hand. We don't consider this a deal-breaker, but it is not as convenient as other tested options. The superior functionality of this brush easily outweighed minor concerns, and the OXO Tot is our top choice.
The soft bristles of the OXO Tot Brush easily reached the far corners of the oddly shaped Tommee Tippee baby bottle.
The Philips Avent Baby Bottle Brush has a simplistic yet highly functional design. The brush only has bristles on one side, more like a traditional dish scrubber. However, the tip's curved shape splays out the nylon bristles and allows you to reach the bottom of narrow bottles without any trouble. The single-sided design lets you direct the overspray towards the sink, not all over the kitchen. It has a comfortable angled handle for more ergonomic scrubbing, but the best feature of this brush is that you can use it for more than bottle cleaning. The bristles cover enough surface area that we like using this one for general dishwashing.
The Avent Baby brush is plastic with nylon bristles. While these materials offer durability and longevity, we aren't huge plastic fans. The rear tip of the handle narrows into a textured nipple scrubber. However, it is elementary, and we recommend purchasing an additional small brush to clean nipples and straws like the Dr. Brown's Straw Brush. This pack of smaller brushes can ensure you get the small spaces clean. Overall, the Philips Avent baby bottle brush is a simplistic yet highly appreciated workhorse, and we think it would be a great addition to your bottle-cleaning arsenal.
The plastic bristles of the Philips brush are very durable.
The Mama Bear Bottle Brush is a handy bottle-cleaning tool with a sponge tip and soft nylon bristles twisted in a steel neck. The handle is plastic with a slip-resistant coating and is relatively comfortable. We like the sponge and bristle combo as it provides a good scrub but is gentle on delicate surfaces like silicone nipples. The brush stem is thin and easily fits into tiny openings, and the sponge can reach the corners of oddly shaped bottles. The bristles are soft, so there isn't much back spray, even when removing the brush from narrow openings. The opposite side has a lightly textured plastic nipple cleaner. The entire brush is top-rack dishwasher safe to keep it clean. These brushes typically come in a 3-pack, making them very affordable.
The neck and handle of this brush are a bit short for cleaning taller bottles, and the OXO Tot Brush could be a better fit for taller bottles. Also, the Mama Bear brush doesn't feel durable. When frequently forced through a small opening, the sponge portion rips. We suspect that, with regular use, you will need to replace the entire brush every 30-60 days. Such a short usage span means more waste is created if you're concerned about environmental impact. Despite these hiccups, the Mama Bear Bottle Brush is an affordable and effective bottle cleaner.
The sponge tip of the Mama Bear brush easily reaches small grooves in most size bottles.
The Dr. Brown's Straw Brush is a staple in our homes. These long and narrow brushes work perfectly with Dr. Brown's bottle system, but we find them useful for everything from nipples, straws, water bottle lids, and more. At a mere 5" long and 1/4" wide, these brushes fit in every crevice. The flexible wire stem reaches awkward angles and cleans less than straight items. Since they come in a pack of 4, you can customize one or two by bending them into different shapes to clean specific bottles/lids in your home.
The downside to super tiny, flexible brushes is that they are much easier to lose or damage. Choosing a dedicated brush space on your counter or keeping them in a small cup helps limit this potential. The handles on these brushes (if you could call it that) are almost nonexistent and may be more difficult for large-fingered persons to maneuver. It is merely an extension of the wire with a small loop at the end. If you need a more traditional bottle brush, our favorite is the OXO Tot Brush. We appreciate these tiny brushes' unique application and consider them an essential kitchen tool in any home.
Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush fits easily through narrow-necked bottles, but this will wear down the sponge tip over time.
The Redecker Beechwood Brush is an eco-friendly alternative to your traditional bottle brush. The handle is untreated beechwood, and the bristles are horsehair. Our favorite part of this brush is that there is no plastic. This feature is a big draw for those who prefer to limit plastic for health or environmental reasons. This brush performs on par with other top products regarding cleaning ability. The semi-stiff bristles work up a good lather but are soft enough to mold around curves and crevices. We also did not experience much back spray when pulling the brush head out of narrow-necked bottles, which reduces overall messes and cleanup.
This brush is a bare-bones product without fancy accessories or features like a nipple brush or stand. If you want other features like a nipple brush, the OXO Tot Brush is a high-quality option we love. Redecker recommends that you hang the brush to dry, but you must devise your own system to do this. If you purchase this product, you will likely need to invest in an additional brush for nipples and other small items. The Redecker is also one of the more expensive items in our review; however, it is highly durable and built to last. Some users repurpose the brush for household cleaning after it is no longer suitable for dishes. We appreciate the Redecker Beechwood's eco-health priorities and think it is an excellent choice for environmentally conscious families.
The Redecker Beechwood Brush is made with a beechwood handle and horsehair bristles.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Compare Products
We tested a variety of bottle brushes in every size and material options we could find.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How We Test Bottle Brushes
After years of testing and using baby bottles, sippy cups, and the best water bottles for kids, we consider ourselves bottle-washing experts. While bottle brushes don't initially feel like a category you need to research, our testing indicates that they are not all created equal, and it merits at least some minor consideration to ensure your chosen product meets your needs and expectations. We replicate a worst-case dirty bottle situation during testing for this review, leaving a layer of milk in bottles to dry overnight before testing each brush. We evaluate other attributes to rate and rank each brush: durability, eco-health, and baby health.
Why Trust GearLab
Leading product selection and testing for our bottle brush review is Senior Review Editor Abriah Wofford. Abriah has gotten her hands on various brushes over the years. Thanks to her nanny experience, she understands what to look for in the perfect bottle brush.
How to Pick the Best Bottle Brush
Finding the best bottle brush for your situation doesn't have to be a chore. With so many options available and relatively low price tags, there is something for everyone if you know what you want.
Bottle Size
Throughout baby and toddlerhood, you will use your bottle brush to clean bottles, sippy cups, and more. The first step to finding a great brush is to consider the average size of the bottles you plan to clean. Almost any brush will do if the bottles are short and the openings are wide. It can be more of a challenge if the bottles are tall or the openings are small.
Brush Material
If you are trying to avoid using plastic at home, then your options might be more limited. Deciding which kind of material you'd prefer is a great way to narrow the field, and modern-day brushes come in plastic alternatives like silicone and natural bristle brushes.
Supplemental Brushes
If the items you plan to clean have small parts or nooks and crannies where gunk can hide, we recommend adding a pack of smaller brushes to your cleanup lineup. Be it smaller nipple brushes or straw brushes, having the right tool for the job can help keep things clean.
Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush fits into narrow mouth bottles with ease.
We like products that have a nipple brush included, like the OXO Tot Brush.
Analysis and Test Results
We bought, tested, and compared various bottle brushes to determine the most effective way to clean dirty bottles and other nursing and feeding items. While using each product, we focused on the overall cleaning ability of each contender, took note of any unique features, and compared the bottle brushes side-by-side.
What's the Best Value?
None of the bottle brushes were expensive, but you don't want to pay more than you have to. However, after much testing, we can say that buying a durable brush that costs a little more could save you money because you theoretically won't need to replace it as often. Unfortunately, all bottle brushes have a shelf life. No matter how much you spend, you will eventually need to replace a brush to avoid transferring gunk, viruses, and bacteria from one surface to another. But some brushes will last longer than others and seem to retain their cleanability longer. The Philips Avent Baby Bottle Brush is durable and cleaned well during testing compared to the competition. This budget brush is one of the least expensive in the group, and we think it will work for most needs and families. Alternatively, the OXO Tot Brush is only a couple of dollars more and earned impressive scores for durability and cleanability. Its handle is longer, making it suitable for bottles of different sizes (think longer water bottles). It also earned a slightly higher score for eco-health, making it a good addition for most families regardless of their cleaning goals.
There is a perfect bottle brush out there for you, no matter what style you prefer.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Cleaning Ability
Bottle brushes should excel at quickly scrubbing away breastmilk, formula, or anything else you put in the container. While all tested products worked well enough, a few options have more effective designs, making the bottle-washing process significantly easier. To try each brush, we place used bottles on the counter and let them sit overnight, allowing any leftover milk to dry. We then use each bottle brush, in turn, to see which ones scrub away the dried milk with ease and which ones took some extra elbow grease.
We favor medium-stiff bristles and a larger brush head to clean a greater surface area. We also appreciate products with a nipple brush included or built-in to the handle. The OXO Tot Brush fits the bill on both accounts and has even more ease-of-use features. The Philips Avent Baby Bottle Brush is a simpler brush but still an excellent scrubber that we like to use on many items besides bottles.
Using the OXO Tot Brush was the easiest and fastest way to get a clean bottle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
A Note on Overspray
Any brush with a head full of bristles will create some spray when you pull it out from a narrow-necked bottle. However, the Munchkin Bristle Brush had bristles so stiff that the overspray was ridiculous. We were splattered from the waist up with water and soapy bubbles, along with the walls, the countertop, and everything else nearby. This issue did not lessen over time; we were forever scrunching up our noses and turning our heads to avoid the mess.
It's a bit of a squeeze to get the brush head of the Munchkin Bristle Brush through very narrow openings.
The soapy water from the brush gets flung far and wide by the extra stiff bristles on the Munchkin Bristle Brush.
A few of the brushes we tested have flexible necks, like the Munchkin Bristle Brush. This feature dramatically improves ease of use by allowing the brush head to reach different angles within the bottle. Be careful not to get too confident in the flex; the necks of the bottles will break if you push too much.
The Boon Cacti brushes have unique shapes that offer better cleaning and accessibility.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Durability
Durability directly affects the value of your baby bottle brush and indirectly affects its cleaning ability. While it is best to replace your bottle brushes periodically to maintain good hygiene, certain qualities can potentially improve performance within this period.
For example, stiffer bristles like those found on the Munchkin Bristle Brush hold their shape longer than softer ones. Silicone brushes, like the Kitchiny Silicone Brush, hold up to hot water and sanitization much better than plastic and don't require frequent replacement. The OXO Tot Brush has a somewhat flexible plastic handle but also feels less durable during testing. Brushes with steel or wood handles are much sturdier than plastic versions that sometimes snap under pressure. The sponge scrubbers on the Dr. Brown's Soft Touch and Mama Bear are some of the least durable, and they start to tear off in chunks if repeatedly punched through small openings.
Sponge tipped brushes like Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush get everything squeaky clean, unfortunately they will need to be replaced frequently.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Eco-Health
It can be a tricky task to find an eco-friendly baby bottle brush. The most popular options are almost entirely plastic; however, we included a few natural options like the Redecker Beechwood Brush in our testing as potential alternatives for those looking to limit their use of plastic. These two are the most eco-friendly and use all-natural materials. We like the system of the Boon Trip as it includes a drying rack that eliminates the need to use paper towels when washing on the go.
Another option is to choose a long-lasting plastic brush to potentially purchase fewer brushes throughout your bottle-washing years, producing less waste. If this sounds more appealing, we recommend the Munchkin Bristle Brush or the Philips Avent Baby Bottle Brush, which scored well for durability.
The Redecker Baby Bottle Brush is made from steel and pig hair bristles.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
A baby bottle brush is a simple tool that will quickly become indispensable in the kitchen. Until you have a baby, you might not even have considered this kind of gear before. However, it can make a world of difference when cleaning the odd shapes of bottles, sippy cups, kids' water bottles, and the best breast pump parts. Many people purchase their first bottle brushes for use with baby-related items but find them so handy that they continue to use them well past the bottle-feeding stage. In addition to cleaning bottles, bottle brushes are great for adult water bottles, travel mugs, vases, humidifiers, and more. We think that once you find the right brush for your family and needs, it will likely become one of your most heavily used cleaning tools.
