Question About Cleaning Tubing for Medela Breast Pump

Call Medela on their 800 #. They are so helpful. I thought I was going to have to buy a whole new pump with baby #2 because my pump wasn't working right. They taught me how to clean the motor and it worked like a charm.

I'm not sure how you would do that. You will probably have to replace them, otherwise more specifically I don't know how you would dry them.

A vinegar or rubbing alcohol solution with hot water is good. To dry they tubing take the wet tubing outside (for safety) and swing it around like a helicopter. you may even hear a whistling noise from the air going through it. It works best to dry the tubing. I don't think you need to clean it that often since no fluids actually go through the tubing. But, I clean everything so I understand wanting to clean it. Hope this helps.

i never cleaned my tubing for my medella. only air passes through it. however sometimes condensation would get in there and i would have to hang it straight up and down so it came out and dried.

I read about how the Olympic swimmers use vinegar and alcohol to clean out their ears, and I tried it with my tubing. I soaked the tubing overnight in distilled white vinegar to disinfect it, then ran clean tap water through it to rinse out the vinegar, and then put some rubbing alcohol in it to dry out the tubing. I usually had to use the express function on the pump to blow out any remaining water. It really worked; my tubes came out looking brand new.

I didn't clean mine very often, maybe 2-3 times total over the 15 months I used the pump. I made sure to use the express function every time I pumped to get any condensation out of the tubes.

I just put mine in the Medela Microwave steam bags each night...seems to do the trick. It's great for cleaning the other parts as well...You can find them at Target, Babies R Us, all sorts of places.

-M

I used the medella steaming bags too. Rarely need to clean the tubing but I did it about once a month.

They actually sell medela steamer bags for the microwave for the tubing and accessories. I used to steam them every time I used them by adding 4 oz of water to the steamer bag and steaming it for 1 minute. Worked well for me.

i clean the ends of the tubing with the bottle brush and dishwashing liquid (do not use antibacterial dishwashing liquid, it sticks to the plastic parts) daily. rinse well, swing the tubes around to get the water out. sterilize once a week.

The person at the breast feeding shop in Redondo said they didn't need to be cleaned. My collegue asked after she steamed hers in the bag and the moisture eventually molded. I have never cleaned mine in three years. No problems...I use the steam bag for the pump trumpets.

The problem with boiling or using the microwave is the plastic will leach. I am not sure if the tubing or pump attachments are made with our without BPA-does anyone know? Tubing should be dried with the the pump-I have to let mine run a few extra minutes after each pumping. I am getting a little mold in the pump part but have put it in the top rack of the dishwasher and have handwashed with warm soapy water.

Hi, I used to wash the tubing regularly but they never dried very well, and I ended up with moldy tubing after a couple of months. I kept replacing them till one day a kind person told me the right way to dry them-- attach them to the pump without other things and let the pump run for 5 minutes. That will do the trick and completely dry the tubing. I have been so happy to pass that trick along ever since.. Also you probably don't need to clean the tubing more than once a month since they don't really get that dirty. It is, however, important to keep the inside of them dry and that's why pumping air without other things help!

I always use the steam bags with 4 oz of water. Hang to dry overnight. : )

Hey L., the tubing shouldn't need to be cleaned as it doesn't get anything but air inside of it! If it looks dusty, I would say to just rinse it with hot water, and let it air dry. P.S. I have had the same Medela breast pump and tubing for 13 years, and have never needed to wash them....

Hi L.,

I see you have lots of advice! Let me just share with you what the nurse at the hospital told me. She said to just rinse the tubes out with hot water and let them dry. That's it. She said that's all they do at the hospital. I would be careful about using harsh cleaners such as bleach. I'm not sure what effect the air in the tubes have on the milk, if any, but I wouldn't take any chances. :o)

Also, if you want to replace the tubing easily, they sell it in aquarium/pet stores. Just keep the little connectors that are on the end of the original tubing and place them on the new tubing--it's a standard tubing size. Congratulations!

You only have to clean the tubing if milk gets into the tubing, and you can use the steam bags for that. For condensation, you can just keep the pump running after you've pumped and detached the breast shield and container - the air will help dry out the moisture.

I boiled them. I felt safer that no bad bacteria or anything would grow in them. I don't think I did it each time, but I may have.

Unless you get some milk backed up into it, you never need to clean it. Now, you may notice some condensation. If this happens, simply let the pump run for a few extra minutes without you hooked up to it. This pulls air back and forth and dries out the tubing.

If you did get milk backed up, wash it in hot, soapy water. Then you can sterilize it with one of those microwave steam bags. Instructions on how to do this are on the outside of the bag. I've only had to do this once. If you're getting milk back up, then you probably need to check to make sure the membranes are allowing the milk to fall down into the bottle. The only time I've ever had milk backed up, one of my membranes was stuck to the yellow valve and not allowing the milk to fall.

Just some background, I've been pumping for my daughter ever day I'm at work, 3 times/day for the past 14 months. :)

I put them in a tub of hot soapy water and then I actually (this sounds weird) sucked the hot soapy water into them (NOT into my mouth!) and blew it back out. Then I rinsed them right under the tap in the hottest water. I don't actually think they need cleaning since they don't really come in contact with the milk but they do get damp inside from wet bottle attachments etc. so seems that could get icky if left wet. Good luck & don't worry about them too much!!! (I'm sure you have 10 zillion other things to worry about...)

You can soak the tubing in vinegar water. Hang to begin drying process and then finish drying by putting the tubing on your pump and letting it cycle. However, this does use up time on your pump motor, so it may be cheaper in the long run to replace them. You can find Medela breast pump tubing here: http://www.lactationconnection.com/medela_parts.aspx

Hi L.,

Like some of the other Moms, I cleaned them in the Medela Microwave steam bags, those work great! I like the idea of dryin them out on the pump. But...if they do happen to get moldy and ugly looking, you can email Medela directly and they will send you a new set for free! I have had my pump for 4 years and I recently contacted them about where to get new tubing, they ended up sending me a set. Hope this helps.

Medela makes steaming bags that you can use for the tubing. That's what I used - you buy a box of the bags and put in a certain amount of water, then microwave it. There are specific instructions for the tubing and it sterilizes it 99.9%. I think that each bag has like 20 uses, so they are pretty economical! Good luck!

I followed the directions on the microwave steam bags and it totally ruined them! So I went to the Pump Station and they advised not to wash them. If they're looking dirty you can get new tubes pretty inexpensively. Good luck!

I tried and tried to clean them... and what I found works is spraying them with a cleaner like chlorox clean up....Take the sprayer & basically put the sprayer right up to it & let the fluid run throughout the tube. Let it then sit in your sink to get all the gunk out. Like half hour... Then, rinse it a bunch of times with water to make sure all the cleaner is out. Set the tubes where they can drain to dry.