The Part Of Your Instant Pot You've Probably Never Cleaned

An Instant Pot can be a lifesaver if you work the entire day and don't have enough time and energy to prepare a meal once you get home. Making instant pot recipes simplifies weeknight cooking, since many of them do not require constant monitoring and instead rely on slow cooking. However, while an Instant Pot makes cooking easier for everyone, there's one part of this tool that often gets overlooked when it is time to clean it — the silicone sealing ring.

The silicone ring is an essential component of the Instant Pot. It serves as a flexible, rubber-like seal that locks the steam and pressure in when the appliance is in use, thereby ensuring that the pot cooks the food evenly. Because this part is made of porous silicone, it tends to absorb the strong odors of the ingredients and food cooked inside the pot. Oftentimes, the silicone ring continues to smell like onions, garlic, or beef long after it's been washed. This can be off-putting the next time the Instant Pot is used to cook a different dish.

In an Instant Pot Community Facebook group page, many users voiced frustrations that putting the ring in the dishwasher doesn't always work. However, one group member by the name of Susan Anderson Galloway may have found a method that can effectively eliminate the pungent and nasty scent the silicone ring tends to develop over repeated use.

Galloway's cleaning hack is simple and doesn't require special equipment or harsh chemicals. In a Facebook post, she shared that her method involves soaking the silicone ring, along with the Instant Pot's catch cup, in a solution made of vinegar, lemon, and water. Instead of relying on the dishwasher or the traditional wash and rinse, she recommends soaking the parts overnight.

"I wanted to pass along a tip that some may find helpful... I put [the silicone rings] in a large zip-top bag, along with the catch cup. I added 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup lemon juice, and then filled it with water. I let them soak overnight. They came out with absolutely NO odor and they are nice and clear," she explained in her post, along with a photo showing her silicone rings inside a zip-top bag filled with her suggested cleaning solution.

Based on the response to her post, which has since accumulated thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, the hack works in eliminating unwanted smells. Many tried it and attested to its favorable results. If you're wondering why this works, it's mostly because of the fact that both vinegar and lemon are natural deodorizers and cleaners. Both are commonly used in kitchens; lemon is great for removing grime from appliances, and vinegar can help degrease kitchen cabinets. They also leave surfaces smelling fresh and clean. It's not surprising that combining them yields a potent way to neutralize stubborn smells in silicone.

As with other cleaning hacks, Galloway's technique has also prompted some people to voice concerns. One person questioned whether the acid solution would eventually cause the rubber to fail. Galloway quickly clarified that she's not worried about this, saying, "I cook with a lot of acidic foods and have not seen any damage." Others chimed in to point out that while silicone shares some properties with rubber, it is very different from it. In reality, silicone is not natural rubber but a high-performance synthetic material designed to withstand heat and resist many chemicals. Though strong acids can damage it, a mild household vinegar and lemon solution may not be concentrated or strong enough to ruin its structural integrity.

For those worried about soaking their silicone rings overnight, another Instant Pot owner suggested a shortcut. Karen Burrows Timmerman recommended pouring vinegar, lemon juice, and water directly into the Instant Pot. With the ring inside the lid, she suggests running the steam cycle for just three minutes. This method not only neutralizes odors on the silicone ring, like the overnight soak, but also freshens the entire appliance. If your Instant Pot ring exudes the foul smells of last week's dinner, this may be the best time to try one of these methods to see the difference yourself.