If you’ve had your Instant Pot for even a short amount of time, you’ve probably noticed the sealing ring on the inside of the lid has a tendency to retain the smell of what you’ve cooked, especially if it was something particularly potent. (Curry, anyone?)
Over and over again, I see people asking how to get rid of the smell on their Instant Pot sealing ring. I’m going to share a few different ways you can do this.
How To Prevent Instant Pot Sealing Ring From Getting Smelly
For starters, the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” comes into play here. We want to do everything we can to prevent the Instant Pot lid sealing ring from getting smelly in the first place.
Here are a few tips to help with that:
1. Always store lid upside down on your pot
After washing and drying your Instant Pot, be sure to store the lid upside down on top of the appliance to allow it to air out.
2. Store in the freezer between uses
The freezer will help kill any bacteria on the silicone ring and neutralize smells.
How To Deodorize Instant Pot Sealing Ring
If your Instant Pot ring already smells, those prevention tips aren’t going to be much help.
Below are some tried and true ways to get the smell out of your sealing ring:
1. Put through a dishwasher
If you haven’t tried it yet, simply put the silicone ring in your dishwasher and see if running it through a cycle in there gets rid of the smell.
2. Steam with vinegar & lemon
Have you tried making the IP clean itself? Simply add 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of water, and the peel of a lemon (roughly chopped). Run the Instant Pot for 2 minutes on the “steam” setting, then let the steam release naturally. When finished, remove the silicone ring and air dry.
3. Soak in vinegar
Soak the sealing ring overnight in white vinegar. The next day, give it a good handwash or run through a cycle in your dishwasher, then allow to air dry.
4. Use denture cleaner
You can use an anti-bacterial odor eliminating denture cleaner to clean & deodorize your Instant Pot sealing ring.
5. Set the ring out in the sun
The UV rays from the sun can kill bacteria and help your Instant Pot sealing ring lose its odor. Simply set it outside on a sunny day and let nature do the work.
Other Tips To Deal With Your Smelly Instant Pot Ring
1. Buy a new sealing ring
Instant Pot says you should be replacing your sealing ring every 6-12 months. Maybe it’s time to replace yours? You can easily order a new one on Amazon.
2. Keep two sealing rings
To avoid any possible transfer of smell, I keep two Instant Pot sealing rings, one for savory dishes and another for sweets. You can buy color-coded rings so you don’t mix them up.