I used to hand wash everything. Every bottle, every pump, every tiny part. It was beyond exhausting. I was so nervous about using the dishwasher. We load dirty dishes there throughout the day, and we were using dish pods with harsh chemicals in there, so it didn’t feel safe to me for my babies things. Over time, the constant hand washing became too much. I really wish I would’ve known sooner that it didn’t have to be that hard.
Those newborn days with no sleep and endless washing were brutal. I was exclusively pumping, which meant washing pump parts every three to four hours on top of bottles. It felt never ending. Since the beginning my baby only liked the Dr Brown bottles, which means lots of tiny pieces to scrub. Every day included multiple rounds of washing and drying. It was such a drain.
Eventually, I knew I needed a better system. I worked through my fear of the dishwasher and started researching safer detergents for babies. Switching to Molly Suds and designating bottles for the top rack only made me feel more comfortable. If I ever want to be extra cautious, I turn on the sanitizing option before drying.
Having the sterilizer and dryer has been a blessing. Going straight from dishwasher to dryer takes only a minute or two, and everything comes out completely dry. It feels like such a relief compared to the hours I used to spend air drying and rewashing pieces. One thing to keep in mind is placement. Make sure there’s enough open space above it and that it isn’t directly under a cabinet, since the steam that releases from the top can damage wood over time. 
The brushes made a big difference too. Regular bottle brushes get worn down and gross so quickly. Switching to silicone bottle brushes gave me a peace of mind because I can fully wash and sanitize them, keeping everything truly clean. 
I like to pre wash the small pieces like the nipples and inserts. I put them inside a stainless steel dishwasher basket so nothing gets lost or falls in there, and everything washes evenly together.
I also worry about microplastics, so for home use I switched to Evenflo glass bottles, which fit perfectly with Dr Brown Parts without leaking. We mostly use them at home since they’re a bit heavy, and I don’t love the idea of one being dropped in the car or a store aisle.
All in, this system takes me about eight minutes to scrub small parts and load dishwasher, and two minutes to transfer everything to the dryer. Ten minutes total for something that used to take forever. My sanity is back. This small change made this part of our day far less overwhelming. I so wish I had done this from day one. But like so much of motherhood, you live, you learn, and you find what works along the way.
The Items I love and use in this set up include:
Molly Suds Dishwashing Detergent
Momcozy Bottle Sanitizer and Dryer
Stainless Steel Dishwasher Basket