To sterilise second hand cups

[silver25]

A friend gave me a couple of cups for my toddler that her kids no longer needed. They look in pretty good condition, but I'd like to Milton them before letting my daughter drink out of them. My DH thinks I'm being a clean freak and that just washing them with dish soap and hot water would be fine. Am I being unreasonable to want to properly sterilise cups that other germy children have drunk from?

Do you sterilise cups in a cafe? No of course not. Yabu, a proper wash with washing up liquid is just fine.

Probably a bit ott but do what you want.

Germs wouldn't live longer than a day or two on a clean, dry plastic cup. Washing them up with hot soapy water is fine, although sterilising them won't do any harm (just not necessary) if it gives you peace of mind.

I'd probably run them through the dishwasher.

You're being ridiculous. Wash them in the sink with regular liquid, job done. What diseases do you think your friend's kids have?

I think sterilizing them or running them through the dishwasher is sensible. Lots of strains of harmful bacteria do die after a few hours on hard surfaces but some viruses (e.g. Norovirus) can linger for much longer. Washing them might be adequate but better safe than sorry.

I'm trying to work out why this is even a discussion between you and your DH, let alone a question of WIBU

When I have been given things in the past I have cleaned them, whichever way i thought best, without running it by DH first.

@Flowersandhearts

I think sterilizing them or running them through the dishwasher is sensible. Lots of strains of harmful bacteria do die after a few hours on hard surfaces but some viruses (e.g. Norovirus) can linger for much longer. Washing them might be adequate but better safe than sorry.

Thank you. How long would norovirus last for? I think I've lost my sense of what's sensible vs OTT during the pandemic!

@cheekychaplin

I'm trying to work out why this is even a discussion between you and your DH, let alone a question of WIBU

When I have been given things in the past I have cleaned them, whichever way i thought best, without running it by DH first.

Oh, I didn't run it past him! Just his comment when I mentioned I wanted to get some sterilising tablets.

Would you feel worried if you were visiting your friend and she offered your child a drink in the cup? That the way I usually test myself when I'm wondering if I'm being OTT.

I wouldn't use milton, but I do run second hand bits through a hot cycle in the dishwasher before using.

Hot soapy water is all you need,so just wash them or bung them in the dishwasher.

Yabu. Hot water and soap will clean it fine

@cheekychaplin

I'm trying to work out why this is even a discussion between you and your DH, let alone a question of WIBU

When I have been given things in the past I have cleaned them, whichever way i thought best, without running it by DH first.

This ^

You do realise that when she plays with other children, they generally dribble all over each other, put the same toys in their mouths and share germs in all manner of other less palatable ways?

If you want to get on top of your anxiety over germs and illness then you'll need to test yourself with small things like this. As a pp said, would you sterilise everything in a restsurant? Would you feel insulted if a friend sterilised something you gave to her? Don't sterilise these cups, you are just fuelling irrational thoughts/behaviours if you do.

If you're having to specifically buy Milton tablets then you are being unreasonable. If you have them already then crack on but it's really not needed.
I've never really understood the point of sterilising unless you have a vulnerable baby and soap and hot water is perfectly fine to wash baby's stuff
As someone has said - what do you do in the cafe?
.

I wouldn't go to the bother of buying sterilising tablets, but if I didn't have a dishwasher I'd put them in the microwave with a little water in until they're steaming. Wouldn't do it for normal cups, but toddler cups tend to have more little nooks that you can't clean thoroughly.

Depends what time of cup. If it just a straight forward drinking tumbler, no I wouldn't. But anything with more fiddly small gaps, spouts etc I definitely would.

If you want to sterilise them op, do it. I would use liquid Milton or supermarket equivalent if it was me. B&M also do sterilising fluid for like £1.

I regularly Milton my sons drinks bottles. I clean with soapy water every day then Milton occasionally! He is 10 but likes to bite on the spouts (straw type drink bottle). Like to get all the germs out the small gaps 😪

Just soak them in boiling water you don't need to Milton them, what would you do if you went to friends house and used a cup there would you demand sterile plastic.

Toddlers put everything in their mouths; toys, shoes, snot, sweets that they find on the floor. Soap and water will be fine.

To be fair I every now and again sterilise my kids water bottles and they are 10 & 8!

Mainly because they have a few and leave them in random places and are full of stale water/juice for days weeks one was left in my car for a month at a time and I’ve learnt the hard way not all of them can be shoved in the dishwasher 🙄😂

A microbiologist at the height of the bird flu scare said that very hot water and dish washing liquid was enough.

Thank you. How long would norovirus last for? I think I've lost my sense of what's sensible vs OTT during the pandemic! confused

Well, this is OTT.

Yabvvvvu. No need to sterilise them, just give them a wash.

Assuming she handed them to you clean, ie not with dried up juice in I wouldn't even wash them. It's a cup. I don't think it's remotely healthy to expend time and effort doing our utmost to never ever pick up a bug. I haven't sterilised anything since we stopped using bottles. A decade on my kids have had maybe one tummy bug each and one course of antibiotics.