Philips Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Steriliser - SCF284/01 1 Count (Pack of 1)

Product Information

Price tends to be the first deciding factor, particularly if you aren’t yet sure how often you’ll be using your steriliser. After that, it’s worth considering what your priority is: speed, ease, capacity, portability? Both the Philips and Tommee Tippee unit have non-concealed heating plates meaning they can be easily cleaned however the Philips unit has a plate that has no real “grooves” where white or orange scale marks from water hardness can form so when descaling with white vinegar it wiped out easily. Over the course of nine months, from when my son was a newborn to now, I tested every method for sterilising our gear, across best-selling products from the leading brands, on bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, teethers and tableware. Like any electric steriliser, it attracts limescale on its heating plate so will need regular descaling. Our tester also didn’t like its short cable, which limits where it can be placed in the kitchen, and that it arrived wrapped in a lot of unnecessary plastic.

After cleaning, rinse off each item in cold, clean water and then you’re ready to sterilise. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly, especially when positioning items in the steriliser and adding the correct amount of water or sterilisation solution.It’s also budget-friendly and fast; delivering the goods in just two minutes for high-power microwaves (1200–1850W). In low-power microwaves (500–800W), it takes six minutes. I found the instruction manual to be the most straightforward I read. Capacity: Six bottles | Materials: BPA-free plastics and metal electrical components | Included: Sterilisation unit, measuring jug and tongs Good for parents who I recommend Mam bottles, so easy to sterilise in the microwave!" Recommended by Mumsnetter Isababybel

UV sterilisers are expensive but effective against the widest range of microorganisms, and the equipment comes out not needing to be rinsed, cooled or dried. Because they use ultraviolet light to kill germs, there’s no water, steam or chemicals to contend with either, though the cycles tend to take longer than with other methods, and they’re not really suitable for thin breast pump tubing as the UV rays won’t penetrate them. When should I use a steriliser? The Philips unit boasted a six minute cycle with auto shut off, for us this varied between 6-8 minutes. We’d like to say it was down to variations in the amount of water add manually by us, but we monitored it with the same liquid quantity and it still varied by up to a minute. Although, this variation doesn’t make too much difference the kwh’s do add up on an energy bill. Cold water sterilisation involves adding a special fluid or tablet to water, then fully submerging your items for about 15 minutes, after which you can remove things at any time up to 24 hours and they’ll remain sterile. Its upsides are that you don’t need heat or electricity, though parents do complain that it leaves a chlorine smell on your equipment. As a steam steriliser, it’s a spacious model that does its job in just over 10 minutes (seven minutes to sterilise, four minutes cooling time) and in microwave mode – useful if you’re travelling – it takes about the same time, depending on your wattage. It also keeps items bacteria-free for up to 48 hours, twice the usual duration, and stores all your kit out of sight. Key methods include cold water sterilising (which requires a chemical to disinfect the water), steam sterilisers (electric appliances that generate hot vapour to clean items), microwave sterilisers (containers that also use steam, which you put in the microwave) and, more recently to the market, UV sterilisers (which use ultraviolet light; the only water-free method).”

Drying function means bottles can be used immediately after the cycle without you waiting for them to dry or cool down