Safe Cup Sterilization: Methods & Best Practices

Sterilization is an important task if you have infants or sick family members. There are two main methods to sterilize a cup for these individuals. The easier method is boiling. This will kill most bacteria and viruses, but some are able to withstand even boiling temperatures. The more involved method is the use of a pressure pot, which uses a combination of heat and pressure, and will truly sterilize the cup.

Things You'll Need

• Pot
• Water
• Tongs
• Pressure pot

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Instructions

Boiling Water

• 1

  Boil enough water in a large pot to completely submerge the cup.

• 2

  Boil the cup for five minutes.

• 3

  Remove the cup from the boiling water with tongs.

Pressure Pot

• 4

  Place 1 inch of water in the bottom of the pressure pot.

• 5

  Place the cup on the pot's inner rack and lock the lid in place.

• 6

  Put the pot on the stove on high heat.

• 7

  Wait for a steady stream of steam to come out of the release stem, and set the weight to 1 atmosphere to keep most of the steam in the pot.

• 8

  Turn the temperature down to medium and let the pot heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

• 9

  Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool before opening.