Medela
Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags
6.7/10 overallAbout £6 for 5 bags
Reusable microwave sterilising bags, each good for up to 20 sterilising cycles, ideal as a lightweight travel backup.
The verdict
Medela's Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags, around £6 for 5, are reusable microwave sterilising bags good for up to 20 cycles each, sterilising in around 90 seconds and folding flat for travel. They're the lightest, most packable option in this category, best used as a travel backup or emergency option rather than a sole sterilising method given their small capacity.
These are the lightest, most packable option in this category by a clear margin: a flat plastic bag that goes into the microwave with a small amount of water and your bottles or pump parts, sterilising in around 90 seconds and reusable up to 20 times per bag before replacing.
Against a dedicated steriliser (electric or microwave tub), the trade-off is capacity and structure versus sheer portability: a bag holds fewer, smaller items and offers no rigid protection in transit, but it weighs almost nothing and folds flat into a nappy bag or suitcase side pocket, which no tub-style steriliser can match.
Most families use these as a backup for travel or as an emergency option when the main steriliser is unavailable, rather than as their sole method — the 20-use limit per bag also means an ongoing (small) cost that a one-off tub or electric unit doesn't have.
Is the Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags worth it?
- Extremely light and packable for travel
- Very fast cycle time
- Cheap to buy as a backup option
What are the downsides of the Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags?
- Small capacity per bag
- Ongoing cost as bags need replacing after ~20 uses
- No rigid protection, less convenient for daily home use
Specs
- Type
- Microwave steam bag
- Weight
- Negligible, folds flat
- Capacity
- 2-4 small items per bag
- Cycle time
- Approx. 90 seconds
- Uses per bag
- Up to 20 cycles
How we scored it
Sterilising Effectiveness
Cycle time and reliability of killing bacteria across a full load.
Effective for small loads, best treated as a backup rather than primary method.
Capacity
Number of bottles and accessories it fits in one cycle.
Smallest capacity of any option in this category.
Ease of Cleaning
How easy the steriliser itself is to descale and keep clean.
Nothing to descale, just rinse and reuse until the bag wears out.
Weighted by importance for this category — see our editorial policy for how we test.
How this review was done
We haven't used the Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags ourselves yet. This review is built from Medela's published specifications and product information, and scored the same way as everything else on the site. We'll update it, and the badge above, once we've tested it hands-on.
How it compares
|  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | About £6 for 5 bags | About £117 | About £22 | About £15 |
| Overall score | 6.7/10 | 6.4/10 | 7.4/10 | 7/10 |
| Type | Microwave steam bag | UV-LED, no water or chemicals | Cold water chemical (tablets or fluid) | Microwave steam |
| Capacity | 2-4 small items per bag | Claimed up to 6 bottles; 3-4 comfortable in practice | Up to 6 standard bottles, 5L water | Up to 3 bottles |
| Cycle time | Approx. 90 seconds | Approx. 5-7 minutes sterilise, +15-20 min to dry | 15 minutes to sterilise | Approx. 3 minutes (microwave-dependent) |
Frequently asked questions
How many times can I reuse a Medela steam bag?+
Each bag is good for up to 20 sterilising cycles before it needs replacing, which means an ongoing, though small, cost compared with a one-off tub or electric unit.
How much can a Medela steam bag hold?+
It scores only 4/10 for capacity, the smallest of any option in this category, fitting 2-4 small items per bag, so it holds fewer, smaller items than a dedicated steriliser tub.
Are Medela steam bags good for travel?+
Yes — they're extremely light and packable, weighing almost nothing and folding flat into a nappy bag or suitcase side pocket, which no tub-style steriliser can match.
How fast do Medela steam bags sterilise?+
Very fast — around 90 seconds per cycle, though most families use these as a backup for travel or an emergency option when the main steriliser is unavailable, rather than as their sole method.
Guides that mention this
Best Baby Bottle Sterilisers Compared
The NHS says sterilise feeding equipment until your baby turns one, but it doesn't tell you which steriliser to buy. Here's how six real options — electric steam, cold water, microwave tub, UV and travel bags — actually compare on speed, capacity and cost.
Sterilising Baby Equipment: Which Method, and For How Long
Four sterilising methods, one NHS timeline: until your baby turns one. Here's what genuinely differs between them, beyond price.
Reviewed by
Sepehr
Software engineer, soon-to-be dad, uncle to four — the tech-obsessed half of the two of us testing this stuff. Currently building this site with my wife, ahead of our own baby arriving.