Quick answer: For an electric pressure cooker with a removable silicone sealing ring, follow the model's removal instructions after the cooker is fully depressurized, unplugged, and cool. Wash the ring with the mild soap and method its manual allows, rinse thoroughly, and let it dry with air circulating around it. Check its shape and fit before reinstalling. A lingering dinner smell is not a seal test: a stretched, cut, distorted, or damaged ring must be replaced with the correct authorized part before pressure cooking.
First check whether the ring is meant to come out
Pressure-cooker lids are not all built the same way. Many have a removable ring supported by a metal rack; others use an integrated seal. Instant Pot's U.S. FAQ distinguishes these designs, including a pressure-cooker cover whose ring is permanently attached. A cleaning video for a familiar-looking lid does not establish that yours can be taken apart in the same way.
Find the model name and capacity on the appliance and open its actual manual. Look for the parts illustration, ring-removal directions, cleaning section, and replacement information. If the instructions say the seal is fixed, leave it attached and follow that lid's care procedure. Do not pry it out with a knife or screwdriver.
For a removable design, lay out a clean towel and take a picture of the ring in place before removing it. Keep the electrical base away from the sink. This guide covers the ring itself; it is not a pressure-release tutorial or permission to dismantle valves.
Wash the removed ring without stretching it
Complete the normal pressure-release procedure specified by the manufacturer before opening the lid. Never force a lid that resists opening. Once the appliance is unplugged and the parts are cool, remove the ring by the documented method. Use your fingers as directed rather than levering against the retaining rack.
- Set the ring on the towel and inspect its entire circumference. Note cracks, cuts, flattening, stretching, or an area that no longer matches the rest.
- If it is intact, wash the surfaces and accessible groove using the manual's approved mild dish soap and water method.
- Use a soft cloth or a suitable soft brush to lift food residue. Do not dig into silicone with a sharp pick.
- Rinse until the soap is gone, including from the groove.
- Leave the ring supported in its natural shape while it dries. Keep it away from the stove, oven, and other unapproved heat sources.
The cited Instant Pot RIO manual allows hand-washing or a top-rack dishwasher wash for its removable ring and specified lid parts. That instruction belongs to that model family. Check your own instructions before putting a ring—or the rest of the lid—in the dishwasher. Keep loose parts secure as the manual directs.
If the food smell remains, separate odor from residue
After washing and drying, inspect the ring away from the cooking pot and lid. A sauce residue lodged in the groove is a different finding from a ring that looks clean but retains a smell. If visible soil remains, repeat only the permitted cleaning method on that spot. Do not assume a stronger scent means you need a stronger chemical.
The RIO care instructions recommend ventilated storage for sealing rings. Give the clean ring space to dry rather than closing it inside a damp cooker. Find a clean place away from splashes and food preparation, and inspect it again before reinstalling. Drying time depends on your room and the part; a fixed timer is less useful than checking the groove and both faces.
Keep sweet and savory cooking separate when appropriate
Instant Pot notes that compatible extra rings can be used for different dishes, such as sweet and savory foods. If you already have approved spare rings for your exact cooker, store them so you can tell them apart. Do not write on the sealing surface, and do not treat a different color or matching diameter as proof of compatibility.
For persistent odor, ask the maker about the model's approved next step. Skip improvised oven baking, bleach soaks, essential oils, and pressure-cleaning recipes borrowed from another appliance. A manual may specify a particular odor-removal cycle; its liquid amounts, settings, and release procedure must stay together.
Reinstall by fit, not by how clean it smells
With the lid cool, check the retaining structure described in your manual. If it is bent, loose, or damaged, stop and contact support. Do not bend it back to make a ring appear to fit. Reinstall an intact ring in its correct track and follow the maker's seating checks all the way around.
For the removable RIO design described in the cited manual, the ring must sit evenly on its rack without puckering and remain secure when the lid is turned over. Use the corresponding check for your cooker. A ring that slips out, twists, or leaves an obvious loose section needs attention before cooking.
If you removed other parts for their own approved cleaning, account for every piece and reinstall them exactly as instructed. Do not start a pressure cycle merely to find out whether an uncertain assembly will hold. Any required test run must come from the manufacturer after the appliance is correctly assembled.
Replace a damaged ring and keep the routine specific
Instant Pot's U.S. FAQ calls for checking removable sealing rings before cooking and replacing them if stretched, deformed, or damaged. It gives a typical replacement interval of 12–18 months or sooner for the covered designs. Follow your exact model's maintenance instructions; a date on the calendar never overrides visible damage.
Keep the model number, capacity, and authorized part information together before ordering. If you cannot establish that a replacement fits your appliance, ask the manufacturer. A seal for another cooker is not interchangeable just because it lies neatly inside the lid.
Give other countertop cookers their own cleanup routines. Our rice-cooker steam-vent guide addresses a different removable assembly, while the slow-cooker cleaning guide separates washable stoneware from the electrical base. Neither replaces pressure-cooker instructions.
Next step: Check the lid design, wash and dry the approved removable ring, then verify its condition and seating. Resolve damage or uncertain fit before the next pressure-cooked meal.
Sources
- Instant Pot USA: Sealing-Ring, Lid, and Cleaning FAQs
- Instant Pot RIO Series Manual: Ring Care and Cleaning, Pages 13–14 and 29
- Instant Pot USA: Find Your Multi-Cooker Manual
By Gohall Clean Team. Reviewed September 12, 2026. Featured image is an AI-generated editorial illustration; it is not a model-specific parts diagram or a product test.