instant pot 6qt with sealing rings
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Best Ways to Remove Smell from Instant Pot Ring

How to remove smell from Instant Pot sealing ring. Does your clean Instant Pot lid still smell? It’s time to deep clean your silicone sealing ring to remove odors.

instant pot 6qt with sealing rings

Why does my sealing ring smell?

Silicone has tiny little pores that open up when exposed to high heat temperatures. Those pores close back up after the temperature drops.

This means that as your food is cooking, the silicone will pick up the aroma of your dish and as it cools, the smell will be trapped inside lingering, no matter how clean it is.

After doing a lot of research, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of all of the methods that people have used to successfully remove the smell from Instant Pot ring.

If you try one and it doesn’t work, try another option on the list!

dish brush and baking soda paste to clean instant pot lid

(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Clean Lid

Before trying to deodorize the ring, make sure to start with a clean Instant Pot. Read how easy it is to clean your Instant Pot here.

removing instant pot sealing ring

How to Remove smell from Instant Pot Ring

Dishwasher

Let’s start with the easiest method first. It’s always best practice to wash the ring after each use. The ring is dishwasher safe on the top rack and the high heat of the dishwasher helps open the pores of the silicone to remove the odor.

I’m guilty of washing the inner pot and forgetting to wash the sealing ring before using it to cook for the next meal. This means that it’s packing in more smell each time I use it without washing in between. Oops.

Freezer

Place the clean sealing ring inside the freezer when not in use to remove smell. It also helps to kill bacteria.

Sunlight

Place clean ring outside in the sunlight for several hours. The heat and sunlight helps remove the odor and kill bacteria. It can also lighten any stains in the ring.

Caution not to keep the ring outside for more than a day as the sunlight can deteriorate the silicone over time.

Baking the Odor Out

Baking helps reverse the process of how the smell got trapped inside the silicone in the first place with high heat.

  1. Preheat oven to 250F (120C).
  2. Put the clean silicone ring on a baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. Check for smells. Caution not to burn your hands or nose while doing a sniff test.
  5. If it still smells, bake for another 10-15 minutes and repeat until the odor is gone up to an hour.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  7. Wash sealing ring again and dry.

 

Cleaning instant pot with lemon and vinegar

Steam Cycle

  • Add 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar and lemon slices/rinds in a clean Instant Pot.
  • Push STEAM button and set time for 5 minutes followed by a natural pressure release.
  • Open lid, remove ring and set aside to air dry completely.
  • See more details on this post on how to deep clean your Instant Pot.

Soaking

Choose one of soaking methods below to remove smell from Instant Pot ring:

  • Soak in ring in vinegar for an hour (note that extended soaking in vinegar may weaken the silicone ring over time).
  • Create a baking soda paste using dry baking soda with just a tiny amount of water added to create a paste. Spread paste throughout the sealing ring and allow it to air out for a day. Rinse well and dry.
  • In a large shallow dish, add hot water, baking soda, dawn dish soap and ring. Soak overnight. Rinse and dry.
  • Create a citrus vinegar solution by combining orange peels and vinegar. Soak ring in citrus solution for an hour. Rinse and dry. See how to make your own citrus vinegar from Bon Apetit.
  • Place silicone ring in 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, 3 tbsp baking soda, 2 tbsp dawn dish soap (original formula) and 1 cup of water. Soak for 1-2 hours. Rinse and dry.
  • Soak in antibacterial denture cleaner to remove sealing ring odors.
  • Place ring in a bag with a generous amount of baking soda sprinkled throughout. Seal it and wait overnight.

instant pot with sealing rings and cleaning with scrub brush

I’ve already tried everything

Buy a new sealing ring. They’re inexpensive and come in a pack of two.

The manufacturer suggests replacing the silicone ring every 6-12 months due to wear and tear.

Over time, the ring will stretch out and no longer provide a snug seal. It will also continue absorbing smells and stains.

Sometimes what you need to do is to replace the ring with a new one depending on how often you use the Instant Pot. Don’t use ring if there’s any cracking, rips, tears.

Buy an extra

Even though the methods above are usually successful at removing odors from the smelly gasket, I still recommend having one for savory foods and one for sweet.

Sometimes you just don’t have time to deodorize the sealing ring before cooking oatmeal in the morning. And no one wants garlicky oatmeal, trust me.

I use one color for my savory dishes and remember that the other color is my sweet one.

Don’t forget to remove the sweet ring off before cooking with savory.

storing instant pot with lid upside to prevent odors

Lid Tip

ALWAYS store your Instant Pot lid upside down and not closed on the appliance when not in use. This will allow it to fully air out and not trap any smells.

Need more tips on how to clean your Instant Pot?

before and after picture of how to clean instant pot

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9 Comments

  1. So glad I found this; I didn’t know you could even remove the ring for cleaning! My instant pot came with pretty much zero instructions or recipes and even the app is close to useless. Thank you for this helpful article!

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