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Friday, September 29, 2006

The “What’s That Smell?” Game

Before I had kids, I went to Target to get a gift off of my friend’s baby registry. Instead of having the names of the items, only the code numbers were listed. I was very disturbed to see that there were “mini-toilet brushes” in the baby section (it was a generic brush so it didn’t see the name “bottle brush” on the package.) I was even more disturbed that she wanted one. I mean how well could that clean a toilet? I ended up getting one for her since she obviously wanted it. She exclaimed “Oh thanks for the bottle brush” when she opened it at her baby shower, and I smiled and pretended that I had known all along what it was. Once I understood it, the thing actually looked kind of nifty and I figured it would be a fast and convenient way of cleaning bottles.

I actually didn’t get to use bottle brushes for a while. In a previous post, I mentioned that no industrial equipment was needed to wash bottles: just a little soap and warm water. For the most part, that works great. I don’t soak them either before they hit the dishwasher. At most, I may give them a rinse if they look particularly grody. However, soap and water may not be sufficient for those bottles that have been sitting in your diaper bag for the past few days. Yes, you know what I’m talking. No one likes to admit that they forgot there’s an old bottle in their diaper, car, under the couch etc., but there’s always at least one to be found by visiting friends or relatives. I have also demonstrated on this blog that I rarely am lacking in the embarrassing stories department, so I am quite experienced at playing the “What’s That Smell?” game where the answer is “the bottle that’s been sitting under the passenger seat of the car since we went to Maine last weekend.”

The insufficiency of soap and water can, but not always, apply to the bottles in which, despite vigorous shaking, the formula has fallen out of solution (in my case it’s because we serve it cold and our younger son (YS) tends to take a little longer to eat) and forms a nice big clump on the bottom of the bottle or a big streak on the inside of the bottle. Sometimes both.

When I first encountered these tough-to-clean bottles, I started to use bottle brushes to scrub the bottles. They do work, however there are two things I don't like about them. First, using them is time consuming. Second, you need to make sure to throw the brushes in the dishwasher to sterilize them (you can nuke them in a bowl of water if you don't have a dishwasher or put them in a pot of boiling water). I subsequently found a better way to clean bottles. I’m not big on promoting items, but as a tired mom I will be the first in line to say, “Just tell me what products work!” I found Cascade Gel Packs with Dawn to work better than traditional powder. It’s a rare bottle that doesn’t get clean when using them.

Is this what I use, or what I advise hypothetical friends to use, when I…er they discover that the reason there’s a slight scent of cheese in the living room is because a rotten bottle has been caught under the couch for who knows how many months despite moving the couch numerous times to look for the alleged bottle? Of course not! I…er you…er they should throw it out! I’m a huge supporter of recycling and trying to be environmentally friendly, but when the inside of the bottle looks black, green, or other color not found in a formula can, this is the time to say farewell to that bottle.

A. Elliot’s Lesson Learned: Bottle brushes look like mini-toilet brushes, and give the Cascade Gel Packs with Dawn a try

PS If you have other suggestions, please comment. You can do so anonymously without setting up a blogger account.

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posted by Alex Elliot @ 10:06 PM   1 comments
1 Comments:

  • At 10/01/2006 8:55 AM, Blogger bethandrobert said…

    Ha! You are not the only one who loses track of bottles! I decided to go on a "bottle hunt" yesterday since all the nipples have vanished. We also use the medela bags you throw in the microwave to sterilize the bottles. We don't have a dishwasher...

     
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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

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