Pump Cleaning at Work?

[sandy_dandy]

Hey Ladies,

I have not gone back to work yet, but I will be pumping at work when I return, and I was wondering how you clean your pump at work. Since I am only pumping occasionally at home now, I can wash everything in the sink and air-dry, but I don't think it will be practical to bring my dish soap to work and take over the bathroom to wash my breast shields!

So how do you handle cleaning your pump parts? I know Medela makes quick-clean breast pump accessory wipes. Are those any good? What about the microwave bags? Do you have to wash/rinse before using those?

I am new to this and welcome any advice/suggestions. :goodvibes:

Sandy

[JerBearsMama]

I use the quick-clean wipes by Medela. I like them. I rinse the parts off with water, wipe them down with the cleaning wipes and then put them away for the next pumping session. When I get home for the evening, I wash them w/ soap and water.

[libster]

I rinsed in REALLY hot water at work, and then washed again w/ soap and water at home every night. never used any extras. I do have to say as far as milk storage goes though, the Lansinoh bags are awesome.

[wobitnobby]

My hospital provided a pumping room without a sink or a fridge and I quickly stopped having time to go wash it all in the bathroom. So I did some research about it, and thereafter stopped washing pump parts during my 11 and 12 hour days. I'm going to quote myself from a few months ago in another thread on this same topic:

More than that, breast milk is quite antimicrobial when it's fresh. It has huge amounts of IgA, lysozymes, and live white blood cells in it. So it's not a good growth medium until that has all died, a day later at room temp (at which point it becomes an excellent growth medium - if you adopt my plan, don't push it too far).

Between pumping sessions, I was storing my pump parts in the PISA bag on top of my cooler pack and even though they were outside the insulated shell they felt refrigerator temp cold to me every time I pulled them out. So nothing was going to have a chance to grow between sessions. Plus, if the breast milk goes bad in the bottle it will smell off and the baby will refuse it. I never had a bottle go bad, except for after I stopped pumping regularly and left one in the fridge for 12 days.

So, for 7 months of crazy double-full time hours, I only washed my pump parts once daily, even if I pumped 5 times. I brought a cloth napkin with me to catch drips and would haphazardly wipe excess milk off the flanges while breaking the pump down, then fold the pump parts into the napkin to protect the bag from getting milk in it.

At night I would either pop em into the dishwasher or handwash in the sink. Once a week or two I steam sterilized in the microwave if I had been missing the dishwasher too long.

Check it out with the links to the supporting research (http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=810720&page=3)!

[AmyQ]

i put my unwashed horns and stuff in the cooler bag i keep my milk in...then just take out and reuse as needed...every few days i totally wash the cooler bag out...at home of course...

[sh0rtchica]

i wash my parts twice a week and keep them in the fridge between pumping sessions and at night :thumbsup: it pays to have a set you can keep at work!

[sandy_dandy]

Thanks ladies, I am loving all the advice!

@wobitnobby - I wouldn't even have thought about fresh breast milk's antimicrobial properties. It makes sense that room-temp milk in the flanges is OK for a few hours if room-temp milk in the bottle is OK for a few hours, but I hadn't thought about it that way.

[sbolen]

Same as the rest...I had a small fridge in my office and just put my horns in there. Every morning (before most people got to work), I washed them in the office kitchen sink. Once a week (or more cause I'd always forget) I would use one of those Medela steam bags.

[CEVmommy]

I just rinse it in the sink at work and then wash for real when I get home.

[Mommy-Stacy]

I am lazy and just have 5 sets of bottles and flanges...lol...they get washed ever night in the dish washer....

[Ready2Bmommy]

Yep...the same as many of the others. Sometimes the horns sit out for one time between pumping, sometimes in the fridge. They get washed with soap and water at the end of the day. Most days I try to steam clean one time, but that doesn't happen everyday. Those Medela bags are great!!

[Zabibaby]

I use the medela bags and I sterilize after EVERY pumping.
My baby is in the NICU so I am super careful.
I have used the wipes too, they are really good.
I have pumped for well babies and I dont take as many precautions, just wash in the sink like mamas have mentioned here.

[Carolina Kel]

I have several set-ups because I am EP'er. But leaving the horns in the fridge is a good idea and I've done that at work.

I bought a small fridge off of Craigslist for $35 in which to store my breastmilk as well as my horns after a co-worker asked me where I got the most excellent creamy-top coffee creamer. :giggle: And you can also use it as a toddler fridge (placing toddler appropriate snacks and goodies for self-feeding later on) when you LO is bigger.

Another co-worker didn't want to wash stuff in the bathroom (would you want your dishes washed in the lav? :yuck:) and felt weird about rinsing stuff in the breakroom bought a box of jumbo ziploc bags. She added water and a squirt of soap to one, and had clean water in the other. She dropped her parts into the soapy water, shook it, and then rinsed them in the other bag. It worked well! (And you can use the same method for hand washables, too!)

Best of luck mama!

[rrutsky]

I never knew they sold wipes for cleaning pump parts. Those sound handier than washing everything out all the time, like I do. Is there a cheaper alternative, I wonder?

[Lucy'sMommy]

I kept dish soap at work with me and washed and aired dried them each day. I was lucky enough to have a mostly private office with a sink though; so it was no biggie for me. I've never tried the wipes, but used the steam bags about once a week. I rinsed before using them and everything came out nice and clean.

[hullabal98]

I had 3 sets of horns/tubes/bottles. One set fits perfectly in a plastic wipes tub. So I would get everything ready for my first pump (set up) under my desk as soon as I arrived. Then I could pump, put used parts away, store milk, and set up for the next pump again in about 40 minutes. :)

[haydn'smommy]

I pump 4 times at work. The first time (8am) I wipe the parts and bottles down with the cleaning wipes and then set it back up to pump again. (Milk goes into a different bottle to put in the fridge. The next pumping (10am) I just transfer the milk to the fridge and then wash my parts and bottles in the kitchen sink. I use the wipes at 1pm and wash after the 3pm. I work M, T, Th, Fr so I take my stuff home on T and F to run it through the dishwasher.

[watawata]

I did the same thing as other PP have mentioned. After pumping was done, I put the funnel etc. (pumping parts) with empty bottles connected (for next pumping session) and threw them into the same cooler bag that I was storing the bottles, and threw the whole cooler back to the refrigerator. By the way, I was using Ameda PY.

[sandy_dandy]

Made it through my first day back at work today. Pumped twice and got about 4 ounces each time. It turns out DS ate 3 ounces and then later 4 ounces at day care, so what I pumped was about right for the missed feedings. I rinsed everything in the sink after both pumping sessions and then washed it all properly at home.

I am fortunate that my supervisor had a baby last January and used to pump at work so she is very supportive. (She still pumps at home, too.)

DS was glad to see me when I got home and get the real deal!

[jessica_wilson]

I took a bottle brush to work and a bought a small bottle of dish soap and would clean the pump after each use.... and then used the microwave santizer bags from medela... I pumped aft first (with my second son) 4 times a night, I was at work for 10 ours, and he 8 weeks old. I gradually was able to get it down to 2 times a night and would get around 8-10 ounces each time I pumped... WAY MORE than he ate while I was gone.

I am having a hard time pumping this time around, my baby goes to a child care center three days a week while I have classes, and I am lucky if I get 4 ounces after pumping for 20 minutes... But, since I wasn't going back to work, I didn't pump when he was smaller (he's five months now) so maybe that is why... I just don't let down for the pump, only in the mornigs.

[ahenson]

I do the same as most of the other mamas here. When at work, I usually just give the parts a thorough rinse, then I dry them with a clean cloth and reattach all the parts so they are ready for next time.

I have the boxy, shoulder-bag Medela Pump In Style, whatever its name is, and I just keep all the parts in the top of the bag. Usually I will wash the parts with soap later at home when we clean the bottles from the day, but not always. I sterilize with boiling water once or twice a week. Good luck!

[TuthGuru]

First, I dedicated a drawer in my desk to the pump parts and lined it with towels.

After pumping, I rinsed in the sink and then used the microwave steam bags.

I'd then take them out of the bag and lay in the drawer to dry. I had 6 breastshields at work so I could use them only once a day and let them air dry.

Which reminds me- I need to get my pump out of the room I pumped in b/c my guy turned one last week and I'm all done pumping! :nahnah:

But seriously, it's a lot of work and it does get old HOWEVER when it's all said and done you will look back and it will have flown by. :hugs: I wish you the best of luck, mama!

[leroi_de_larue]

I love the quick clean wipes from Medela, but they're so expensive. Last time, I rinsed my parts in the sink, then sterilized them in the micro bag after every pumping. It's much quicker to use the wipes, though.

[josycat]

I would dry out the shields, but use very hot water from the break room to sterilize the connectors. The wipes don't do a whole lot of good on the connectors.

[aubsandjulesmomma]

I love the wipes Medela makes but they are $$ so I save them for when I am traveling and won't have easy access to a sink with dish soap. At work, I bring a damp paper towel and a dry paper towel with me to the room I pump in. After I pump I wipe out the horns with the wet towel and then dry them off. I pump 3x per day and at the end of the day, I bring everything home and wash it with hot soapy water to get ready for the next day. The on the weekends I steam clean with the microwave bags. I did this for my older DD until she was 13 months and never had any issues. Now I am back to pumping for my baby. I really hate it but it makes me feel connected to my little girl when I am gone all day... plus it is cheaper than formula!

[leroi_de_larue]

I love the wipes Medela makes but they are $$ so I save them for when I am traveling and won't have easy access to a sink with dish soap. At work, I bring a damp paper towel and a dry paper towel with me to the room I pump in. After I pump I wipe out the horns with the wet towel and then dry them off. I pump 3x per day and at the end of the day, I bring everything home and wash it with hot soapy water to get ready for the next day. The on the weekends I steam clean with the microwave bags. I did this for my older DD until she was 13 months and never had any issues. Now I am back to pumping for my baby. I really hate it but it makes me feel connected to my little girl when I am gone all day... plus it is cheaper than formula!

Great idea-- love it!

[twinmamamaven]

I never had to pump at work but in the car the Medela wipes are GREAT!! I use the Medela microwave bags everyday! So yes, I would go that route!

FYI- I am an exclusive pumper... :pak:

[twinmamamaven]

I think I read on Kellymom that you can put the horns/connectors in the fridge and then use them again later without washing them. I never tried this but it could be worth researching.

[ChicanaCoqueta]

We have a tiny kitchen area that I use to wash.
I rinse with hot water after each pumping session. About every other pumping session I'll use dawn soap.

I occasionally use the microwave bag to sterilize.

I have a plate lined with papertowels that I use to air dry them after each use, I keep them at my desk in a cubby type drawer

[msmueller1983]

Heres what I do... I get to work at 8am, pump at 9am, rinse the parts out with water and let them air dry, I nurse her on my lunch break at 11:30am, at 2pm I wipe my parts down with a Medela wipe then I fold the wipe up to keep it moist then I pump and then I rinse out my parts and wipe them down with the same wipe, then I pump at 4pm and I rinse out my parts then when I get home I soak them in hot soapy water until I've got the kids settled and I can wash them, then I put them in the sink strainer until I'm able to dry them or until I have to leave for work in the morning! This system seems to work pretty well for me. And It saves me on wipes!

[FuzziMom81]

I used a utility sink at work to rinse pump parts at work, then dried them with paper towels. I steamed them with a Medela microwave bag each night. I pumped three times a day for about eight months and never had any problems. Good luck!