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With my first two kids, I somehow convinced myself that washing bottles by hand was just part of the job. By baby No. 3, I was ready to retire from that particular responsibility. Bottle washers have quickly become a major baby must-have, so I decided it was finally time to see what all the hype was about.

My old setup was basically an entire baby dishwashing station taking over one side of my kitchen sink. I had a bucket inside the sink that was strictly for baby stuff, baby-specific bottle soap and a separate bottle brush, plus one of those “grass” drying racks that was permanently covered in bottles, nipples and random pump parts. And then there was our old Baby Brezza sterilizer, which we lovingly called the “spaceship.” It worked, but between washing everything by hand, air-drying it all and then running the sterilizer, there were a lot of steps involved in something I was doing multiple times a day.

The Momcozy DeepClean D8 has quickly become one of those baby products that makes me wonder how I ever thought that setup was a good idea. It washes, sterilizes and dries everything in one machine, which means a lot less time standing at the sink and a lot fewer tiny baby parts taking over my kitchen. After using it with my newborn, here’s my take.

Getting the Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer set up was pretty simple. There are several pieces to put together, but the directions were easy to follow, and the pictures made it really clear where each rack and spray piece belonged. It does take up a decent amount of counter space, but honestly, it’s still much less than the combination of my old sterilizer and grass drying rack, so I don’t mind it. It’s also low enough to fit easily under overhead cabinets, and the lid opens horizontally, so you don’t need extra clearance above it.

Since mine lives next to the sink, I haven’t had much reason to move it, but I’m glad I have the option. The foot pads pop off and the wheels underneath make it easy to roll around when needed. You’ll just want to make sure the drain hose can reach the sink wherever you decide to put the machine.

One thing I love about the rack is that the height is adjustable, so you can lower or raise it depending on what you’re washing. That’s especially nice as Baby grows and moves into larger bottles—you won’t have to worry about outgrowing the machine. There are also separate racks for nipples and pump parts, which makes loading everything much easier.

One thing to know before you get started: a single cycle uses a whopping 96 ounces of water. Momcozy recommends distilled or filtered water—which isn’t always on hand in our home—so I’ve been using tap water and plan to stay on top of cleaning it with the included descaling tablets.

This is where the Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer really earns its spot on my counter. It deep cleans up to eight bottles, but I’m usually filling it with a combination of bottles, nipples and pump parts depending on what needs to be washed that day. Being able to put my Willow Go parts straight into the washer without worrying about them warping has been a huge plus. With a wearable pump, there are so many tiny pieces to wash, and having one place to toss everything is a major time-saver.

The cleaning itself has been really impressive. The Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer combines two cleaning features to give everything a thorough wash: TargetWash uses targeted jets to spray the bottles and parts, while Pump360 rotates them through different spray angles to help reach those hard-to-reach places a bottle brush can miss. It then steam sterilizes everything before moving on to drying, so I’m not left wondering if I actually got everything clean.

The drying function is another big improvement over my old setup. Instead of washing everything and covering the grass drying rack with bottles and pump parts, everything comes out of the washer clean, sterilized and dry. And there are no water streaks or residue left behind, which I love. If I’m not ready to unload it right away, the 72-hour Fresh Hold keeps everything fresh until I am.

The full wash, sterilize and dry process takes about 1 hour and 38 minutes, but because I’m not actually doing the cleaning during that time, I don’t mind the longer cycle. I can start it after a feeding and move on to laundry, school pickup, dinner—or just enjoy a few minutes where nobody needs me.

The Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer also has a self-cleaning cycle, which is a nice feature for an appliance that’s constantly being exposed to milk residue and water. It gives me an easy way to clean the machine itself without adding another chore to my list.

I went into this thinking a bottle washer was probably one of those baby products that sounded nice but wasn’t actually necessary. After using the Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer, I’m eating my words. The biggest benefit isn’t that it washes bottles and pump parts better than I could—it’s that I don’t have to wash them myself. When you have a newborn and two other kiddos (and a stack of other dishes waiting in the sink) getting one more chore off my plate is a pretty big deal.

Now I completely understand why bottle washers are becoming an essential on baby registries. The Momcozy DeepClean D8 Bottle Washer has made one of those never-ending newborn chores feel almost effortless, and that’s worth a lot when you’re in the thick of baby life. The bucket, grass and sterilizer “spaceship” had a good run. But I’m officially retired from bottle duty.

Katie Ann Lehman is a Key Account Manager and frequent contributor across Penske Media brands covering style, parenting, and sports content. With a background managing affiliate programs for brands like Gap Inc. and RedBubble, she’s spent years immersed in the world of commerce media and consumer trends. She’s also a longtime fashion and lifestyle creator whose audience follows along for everything from mom life and home finds to style inspiration and honest product recommendations. When she’s not working, she’s busy raising her three kids — ages 5, 3 and newborn — with her husband in Denver, CO.