“There's something wrong with a mother who washes out a measuring cup with soap and water after she's only measured water in it.” ― Erma Bombeck
Surely, Erma Bombeck would agree that a clean breast pump requires soap and water. Let’s face it; repetitive cleaning of any kind can be monotonous. And when you consider the routine of a milk donor mom (pump, label, freeze, repeat), adding cleaning to the mix makes her that much more admirable. As we have said many times, pumping is a selfless act and takes precious time and faithful dedication. 
Cleaning a breast pump improperly results in unwanted bacteria contamination as well as a more efficient process. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a great resource for cleaning guidelines and dedicates an entire page to breast pump cleaning. Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas is a proud member of HMBANA, the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. HMBANA recommends the following steps:
Wash hands well.- Disassemble the pump kit.
- Rinse pump parts with cool water before washing with hot water to remove milk protein residue. Residue can adhere to surfaces and provide a place for bacteria to grow.
- Wash with warm soapy water. Some rinsed pieces can be cleaned in the upper rack of a dishwasher. To minimize the risk of contaminating pump parts with bacteria, they should not be placed in a sink, but washed in a separate bowl of clean water.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Drip dry on a clean paper towel.
At Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, we are so grateful to the moms who pump their extra breastmilk and donate it to save the lives of premature and critically ill babies. To learn more about milk banking or how to become a donor, please visit our website.