My husband loves curry… in all it’s lovely and vibrant but odorous glory. But it makes our instant pot sealing ring stink. And sometimes BBQ leaves this weird lingering smell that I can’t handle. Or that time my husband asked me what was on fire.
“Oh, nothing, just the smell of the Instant Pot ring after cooking some really garlic-y bone broth. No big deal.”
We’ve dealt with our fair share of smells. And while most of the time it doesn’t transfer to the flavor of the next dish, I would rather not find out the one time it does.
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7+ surprising ways to get an Instant Pot sealing ring odor-free
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Deep clean it
Your pot, in general, could use a good cleaning from time to time, but the ring more so than the rest.
You can actually steam clean it inside of your instant pot with baking soda and lemon rinds for 1 to 2 minutes. I also sometimes take a lemon I have finished squeezing and rub it on the interior of my pot when I have a hard to cleaning something on the stainless steel.
When it’s done, you will want to air dry everything.
Let it soak
After a good stinky meal that you know your selling ring decided to hold onto, take it out and place it in a bowl of warm soapy water or in some vinegar.
This will help dissipate some of those odors. We personally have used Apple Cider Vinegar in the past for cleaning purposes and we let it soak overnight. (We even coated it in baking soda and hung it in the sun afterwards).
Speaking of…Go ahead, harness the power of the sun
If you can, find a place to hang it out in the sun. Sunshine is good for more than just humans, and some good fresh air really does help.
Sunshine can kill odors and fights stains in more than just fabric. So it can help your silicone ring not look so yellow.
Store your pressure cooker differently
Always, I repeat… always store your lid upside down on your pot.
Instead of sealing in any odors or moisture that may be left, this trick is so simple, but so effective to help lessen and even eliminate odors (or even mildew if you forgot to completely dry your inner pot).
Have color-coded sealing rings
Whether you buy rings that are actually, literally different colors or place a sharpie mark on them, you can have rings that you use based on what you’re cooking. It could be as simple as stinky foods vs. non-stinky foods or maybe you have one for BBQ, one for curries, and an “everything else” ring.
Find colorful sealing rings here.
Replace it
Or simply get a new ring when even your stinkiest ring for your smelliest meals is just too much. Find replacements on Amazon through these links:
Freezer
Did you know smells don’t really live long in freezing environments? Store it in the freezer!
Denture Cleaner?
No, I have not tried this personally, but it’s worth mentioning. I have had friends use this method … and honestly? If it can clean stinky teeth, it can probably banish the old food odor from your sealing ring too.I found several anti-bacterial odor eliminating denture cleaners on Amazon. So it’s absolutely worth a shot in tough instances!
How do you handle a smelly sealing ring on your Instant Pot?
Comment below with your favorite ways to troubleshoot your stinky, smelly, odorous sealing ring. Or let us know how one of the suggestions worked for you.
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Kara is an author, wife, and mother of 3 children living in Boston, MA. She has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development and is passionate about connecting with and even helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
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Jolene Hoover
I purchased an 8qt 9-1 several weeks ago. I have not seen any instructions on how to remove the seal. Help please
Kara Carrero
The seal just sits under a small lip. The seal itself is kind of like a U shape, so you can just use your finger to pull it a bit and then it pops right out.
Ange
I ❤️ Everything about the instant pot except for the seal smell. I tried your suggestion using the denture cleaner to clean the seal. It did help a little bit but the seal is still pretty stinky. I guess my next option is to buy several new seals. Thank you so much for the tips on how to clean the seal.
Nell
I have used a stove top pressure cooker for years, but I LOVE my Instant Pot for it’s ease. Just press a couple buttons and walk away!
My only complaint is the stinky sealing ring!!!! I have tried EVERYTHING (except denture cleaner) to rid it of it’s nasty odor. The smell lingers in the house for a couple of days… Fortunately it does not affect the taste of any foods but the smell is almost overpowering and distracting in the house.
I guess I will need to get several new rings, color coded. Maybe the Instant Pot developers need to rethink the type of material for the rings.
Other than the odor, I am having fun cooking up dishes my mother made in her stove top pressure cooker.