Cold Water Steriliser

Milton's cold water method is the odd one out in this category: instead of steam or a microwave, you dissolve a sterilising tablet (or use Milton fluid) in 5 litres of tap-cold water, submerge bottles, teats and accessories under the supplied plastic press, and leave them for 15 minutes. There's no electricity, no heating element to eventually fail, and once made up the solution keeps working for 24 hours, so repeat loads throughout the day don't need a fresh cycle each time.

Against the electric steam units in this category (Tommee Tippee Steri-Express, Philips Avent 3-in-1) the trade-off is speed and kitchen space versus running cost and flexibility. Steam sterilisers finish a load in 5-10 minutes and leave bottles dry-ish; this takes a full 15 minutes just to sterilise, and items come out wet and needing a rinse-free air dry, plus you're buying tablets or fluid on an ongoing basis rather than just electricity. What you gain is a genuinely large capacity (6 standard bottles at once, more than the NUK microwave option), no plastic parts degrading from repeated heat cycles, and a unit that works anywhere there's a tap, including holiday cottages or campsites with no microwave or spare socket.

It's also the method most likely to be familiar from hospital maternity wards, which counts for something with parents who'd rather not experiment. The recurring tablet cost (a pack of 28 tablets is roughly £4-5, so a few pence per use) is worth factoring in against the near-zero running cost of a microwave steriliser, but it's still cheaper over a year than most electric units' upfront price plus electricity.

For a family without regular microwave or counter access, or anyone who'd rather not run a hot appliance daily, this is a genuinely different way to solve the same problem. For most people wanting the fastest turnaround with minimal ongoing cost, an electric steam steriliser will still be more convenient day to day.