Electric Steam Sterlizer

Getting Started

Great to see that you’ve purchased a Tommee Tippee Electric Steam Sterilizer. To help you get started and to keep it working effectively, we’ve added all the guidance you should need, plus some handy hint, tips and troubleshooting advice.

Parts Guide

Here’s a handy step by step guide to all the component parts and how they can be fitted together.

What can be added to the sterilizer?

We would recommend the following items are sterilized from birth:

• Bottles
• Nipples
• Soothers
• Tableware
• Cutlery (non-metallic)
• Breast pumps (not the air tube or electric components)
• Nipple tongs
• Storage lids
• Storage pots
• Nipple shields

Setting up your sterilizer before first use

For hygiene purposes, cleaning your machine before first use is highly recommended.

^{Setting up your sterilizer}

NOTE – It’s vitally important to regularly descale your sterilizer to avoid operating issues and damage to the heat plate, which is in the base of the machine.

Descaling your sterilizer as regularly as is needed will keep the machine working as it should. We know it’s hard to find time with a newborn but we highly recommend that you descale your sterilizer on a regular basis, this could mean that you need to descale every week if you live in a hard water area or if using more than once a day.

In general, if you notice marks on the base of the machine, you should descale it to keep it working as it should.

Not sure of your water quality -  we’d suggest contacting your water supplier.

How to use your sterilizer

Before sterilization, wash all bottles and feeding accessories in warm soapy water or in a dishwasher (top rack only) to remove any milk or food residues.  Separate all components for washing and reassemble bottle teats and screw rings before sterilizing.

^{How to use your steriliser}

Do I really need to sterilize my bottles?

It’s entirely your choice - the main reason for using a microwave or electric sterilizer is that they’re guaranteed to reach the 100 C needed to kill off harmful bacteria that can build up in milk. You don’t get that guarantee with a dishwasher.

Do I need to add sterilizing solution to the electric sterilizer?

Nope - adding sterilizing solution will actually damage your machine, so we really do say not to do this. Just add water, 80ml (2.7 fl oz to be precise). The water turns to steam and that’s what sterilizes anything you place inside. More than this volume of water will increase the cycle time. Less then 80ml may not sterilise the items properly.

What's the best way to remove the lid (old style)?

You don’t really want a face full of steam, so use the tabs on either side and tilt the lid, so the underside is facing away from you. This also means any condensation will drip back into the unit rather than making a mess for you to clear up.

What's the best way to remove the lid (new style)?

The good news is that our new style electric steam steriliser has handy handles on the top of the lid. Take the handle and simply lift the lid straight up and away from you allowing for condensation to drip back into the unit rather than making a mess for you to clear up.

Watch our Electric Steam Sterilizer Top Tips Video for some further guidance.

What are the nipple tongs for?

The Nipple tongs are included with the sterilizer so that you can safely remove freshly sterilized items without touching them with your fingers and potentially contaminating them.  You can remove the nipples with the nipple tongs and then use the screw ring to re-assemble with the bottle.

Nipple tongs should also be used to squeeze any residual water from the baglet of a pacifier.  This is important to do after each wash/ sterilizing cycle, to avoid the risk of burning your little ones mouth.

Which bottles fit in it (new style)?

That’s simple, all of them! The steam sterilizer will comfortably house 5 Closer to Nature Bottles or 4 Ultra bottles.

Which bottles fit in it (old style)?

This model of steam sterilizer will comfortably house 6 Closer to Nature bottles. If using Ultra bottles, you’ll need to remove the top tray to fit them in.

How should I position the bottles inside the steriliser?

The aim is to allow steam to get inside and all around every bottle. The best position for this is upside down, ideally at an angle. If you’d like to see this in action, check out our video on how to use the Tommee Tippee electric steam sterilizer.

Should I dry the bottles before using them?

Thankfully, you can cross this off your to-do list. Any water left inside the bottles after sterilization is sterile and won’t collect germs, so there’s no need to dry. In fact, wiping the inside of a bottle after sterilisation could add even more germs, so it’s best not to!

How do I reassemble my bottle when they're ready?

Just reassemble as normal, but wash your hands thoroughly first, or use the nipple tongs provided if you have them. The idea is to keep the bottle as clean and sterile as possible.

If you don’t want to leave them all in the sterilizer for the 24-hours, you can reassemble all bottles straight away and store them in a dry location. The fully assembled bottles will be OK to use for the same 24-hour period. Any unused bottles, after the 24 hours should be popped back in for a fresh sterilizing cycle.

Cleaning & Maintenance

^{Cleaning your sterilizer Image}

Why should I descale my electric sterilizer?

De-scaling removes the limescale that can build up around the heat plate, just as it can inside a kettle. Descaling regularly helps your sterilizer enjoy a long and happy life, with no bits fading before their time.

Here’s a link to our How to Descale video which will give you some further guidance on how to do it.

To help you identify limescale; here’s a picture of your heat plate fresh out the box, (A) and here’s a picture of a heat plate that hasn’t been descaled (B). If you notice a dark brown appearance, this is likely to be burnt on limescale which means you may need to descale the machine over a longer period e.g. overnight or up to 24 hours.

How do I descale my electric sterilizer?

There are two simple options. You could use a specially designed descaling product which is suitable for an electric steam sterilizer or you could use white vinegar (ideally not the stuff you use on your chips!). If you choose a specialist product, it should come with instructions; if you choose white vinegar, here’s what to do:

• Empty the sterilizer and wipe inside with a clean sponge or damp cloth
• Pour in 1 cup (250ml) of white vinegar and leave for between 30-mins and 24-hours, depending on the extent of limescale
• Pour any remaining liquid down the sink and rinse with clean water. Use a sponge or cloth to remove any loose bits of limescale that there might be
• Plug your sterilizer back in, adding the regular volume of water for a normal cycle.
• Turn on and run for 5-minutes then give a final rinse.

Or you could watch this quick video on how to descale your electric steam steriliser.

How often should I descale my sterilizer?

It’s vitally important to regularly descale your sterilizer to avoid operating issues and damage to the heat plate, which is in the base of the machine.

Descaling your sterilizer as regularly as is needed will keep the machine working as it should. We know it’s hard to find time with a newborn but we highly recommend that you descale your sterilizer on a regular basis, this could mean that you need to descale every week if you live in a hard water area or if using more than once a day.

In general, if you notice marks on the base of the machine, you should descale it to keep it working as it should.

Not sure of your water quality -  we’d suggest contacting your water supplier.

How should I store my sterilizer once I've finished using it?

If you want to store your sterilizer to use again, we’d suggest that you run a full descaling programme to ensure all limescale is removed and to give it a clean. Ensure the unit is thoroughly dry and securely wrapped in bubble wrap and cardboard to keep it nice and snug. When deciding where to store it, we’d suggest somewhere nice and dry to avoid any damage.

Troubleshooting

Should I get a lot of steam whilst it's on?

Not really. If you have way more steam than you’d expect, it could be that you’ve just got a few too many items inside. Check that items are correctly loaded into the steriliser. There are marked areas on the trays to show where to put your bottles, and if you’re popping other items like teethers or soothers in, just be sure to space these out evenly.

Don’t overfill the machine with too many products as this reduces how efficiently the steriliser works and it may not sterilise properly.

The correct amount of water is 80ml. More than 80ml of water in the steriliser base will increase the cycle time. Less then 80ml may not sterilize the items properly.

There's flaky bits in the machine - What's causing it?

This is likely to be a build-up of limescale that’s loosened from the base of your machine (we call it the heat plate).

There are two simple options for you to choose from. You could use a specially designed descaling product which is suitable for an electric steam sterilizer or you could use cleaning or food grade white/clear vinegar (ideally not the stuff you use on your chips!). If you choose a specialist product, it should come with instructions; if you choose vinegar, here’s what to do:

Empty the sterilizer and wipe inside with a clean sponge or damp cloth

• Pour in 1 cup (250ml) of white/clear vinegar and leave for between 30-mins and 24-hours, depending on the extent of limescale
• Pour any remaining liquid down the sink and rinse with clean water. Use a sponge or cloth to remove any loose bits of limescale that there might be
• Plug your sterilizer back in, adding the regular volume of water for a normal cycle.
• Turn on and run for 5-minutes then give a final rinse.

Or you could watch this quick video on how to descale your electric steam sterilizer.

It’s vitally important to regularly descale your sterilizer to avoid operating issues and damage to the heat plate, which is in the bottom of the machine.

Descaling your sterilizer as regularly as is needed will keep the machine working as it should. We know it’s hard to find time with a newborn but we highly recommend that you descale your sterilizer on a regular basis, this could mean that you need to descale every week if you live in a hard water area or if using more than once a day.

In general, if you notice marks on the base of the machine, you should descale it to keep it working as it should.

Not sure of your water quality -  we’d suggest contacting your water supplier.

Should there be water left in the bottom once it's finished?

Yes - that’s pretty common! Just empty it out once you’re finished and you’re ready to start again.

Watch our Electric Steam Sterilizer Top Tips Video for further guidance.

Why do my bottles still have marks on after I sterilize?

The chances are, the marks are milk residue. Sterilizing removes bacteria, but bottles still need to be washed beforehand to remove any bits of milk clinging on inside. Warm soapy water will do the trick - thoroughly wash, then rinse and pop them in your sterilizer.

My machine has completely stopped working!

Things that can affect your machine are excessive amounts of limescale (that’s where the base of your machine looks chalky or brown) or the use of chemicals or water softeners as all of these can damage the machine, causing it to stop working.

If none of the above apply, come and chat to us in your preferred way – you can choose one of the 3 options in our contact area.

There's holes appearing in the base (heat plate) – What's causing it/can I still use it?

If you haven’t been using a water softener, cleaning chemicals or sterilisation solutions, then it sounds like there may be or has been an excessive amount of limescale build-up, which has damaged the heat plate. If you haven’t already descaled your machine, it’s still worth doing this, as once the limescale is clear, you can see the extent of the holes (we call this pitting).

Once the descaling process is complete, have a look at the volume of holes that are visible. If there are several holes, we’d recommend that you stop using the machine as the heat plate has been damaged. If there are only a couple and as long as the machine is still functioning as it should, you can continue using the machine, but we advise to regularly descale and watch out for any more holes appearing – stop using if more appear.

To help you out further – here’s an image of a heat plate with only a small amount of pitting (A) and another with excessive pitting, where the machine should not be used (B).