Reading Time: 8 minutes How to Quickly and Easily Clean Your Instant Pot: Comprehensive Guide
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Are you an Instant Pot enthusiast? If so, you know how amazing it is to have a kitchen appliance that can do everything from pressure cooking to slow cooking, sautéing, and more.
With all the different functions of the Instant Pot comes the need for regular cleaning and maintenance.
Cleaning your Instant Pot isn’t as hard as it may seem! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you how to clean an Instant Pot so that it looks brand new every time.
We will also share tips on cleaning the seal, fixing odors, and more.
Table of Contents
What is an Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. What makes it different from other pressure cookers is that Canadians designed the Instant Pot to be a smart, safe, and dependable pressure cooker to cook two to six times faster and with less energy usage.
The Instant Pot can be used as not only a pressure cooker, but also a slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, yogurt maker, warmer and more.
Step-by-Step Easy Instructions To Clean Your Instant Pot
- Unplug your Instant Pot and be sure it has cooled down completely.
- Remove the inner pot, lid, and all detachable parts from the lid.
- Clean the removed individual pieces in either the dishwasher or by hand with warm water with dish soap.
- Wipe down the outside of the Instant Pot.
- Once all of the parts are cleaned and dry, put everything back in its place.
Everything You Need to Know About How to Clean an Instant Pot
So, you bought one of these pressure cookers in the last few years during this Instant Pot craze and now you want to know how to clean your Instant Pot.
Keep reading for detailed instructions about how to clean all of the parts of your Instant Pot.
Safety with Cleaning a Pressure Cooker
First, before you do any cleaning, be sure the cooker is unplugged and cooled down. Remember, the Instant Pot is an electrical device, so you never want to submerge it in water. In addition, never use scouring pads or abrasive cleaners.
How To Clean An Instant Pot In The Dishwasher
For a quick, easy Instant Pot cleaning, many of the parts are dishwasher safe. The inner pot, the sealing ring, the lid, and the steam rack are all safe for the dishwasher or can be cleaned by hand.
As parents of 3 little kids, Force of Nature is our go-to all purpose cleaner. It's nontoxic but is EPA approved for use against Covid-19.
We love vinegar, but we use Force of Nature every day.
Just put the stainless steel pot, ring, and lid inside your dishwasher with the rest of your dishes. We recommend using the top rack of the dishwasher.
If you decide to clean your Instant Pot in the dishwasher, then make sure you are using a mild dishwasher detergent.
Also know that Instant Pot recommends removing the seal ring and the anti-block shield before putting it in the dishwasher.
Also see our post on How to Clean Your Dishwasher with Vinegar or Cleaning Tablet
Cleaning An Instant Pot By Hand
If you prefer a deep cleaning of your Instant Pot or don’t have a dishwasher, then you can clean hand wash easily. Just use dish soap and a damp cloth and it little elbow grease. Then rinse away the soapy water. When you feel everything is clean, just air-dry the parts.
Obviously do not submerge your Instant Pot since it has electrical parts. Just wipe down the outer unit with a damp cloth.
The Condensation Collector
After each use, remove, empty, and clean the condensation collector.
How to Clean an Instant Pot Main Lid
Before cleaning the main lid, remove all of the small detachable parts. Then, wipe down the lid with a clean cloth and a mild cleaner such as soap and water.
Clean The Inside Pot Of An Instant Pot
If there is tough food residue on the inside of the stainless steel pot, instead of using abrasive cleaners, first, soak the pot in hot water for easier cleaning. Then, if there is still food residue, use white vinegar to clean the pot.
Vinegar is great, isn’t it? I use vinegar for so many purposes.
How To Clean The Rim Of An Instant Pot
It’s pretty common to find food debris and crumbs in the nooks and crannies of the rim of an Instant Pot. The rim is the area that the lid sits on. Sometimes you can just take a paper towel, twist the end, and run it inside the rim.
If that doesn’t work an old toothbrush is often the perfect size to loosen and remove the debris from the lip. Don’t scrub though, you do not want to scratch the Instant Pot.
Related: Never Miss a Spot Again: The Complete Cleaning Checklist
How to Clean the Sealing Ring
Another part of the Instant Pot that needs occasional cleaning is the sealing ring. In order to remove the sealing ring, peel it away from the sealing ring rack. Once you have cleaned and dried it, it can be placed back in its proper spot.
Be sure you replace it correctly to ensure there is a good seal. It should still move freely even when positioned correctly.
According to the Instant Pot website, it should be replaced with a new sealing ring every 12-18 months or if there are any cracks before then.
Cleaning the Instant Pot Float Valve
In addition, the float valve on your Instant Pot will need to be cleaned occasionally. First, take off the silicone cap. Then, with the lid turned over, push the valve through.
After that, you can clean the float valve and return it once dry.
How to Clean An Instant Pot Steam Release Cover On the Pressure Cooker
Here are instructions on how to clean an Instant Pot steam release cover. First, you can remove the quick release steam valve cover by turning it counter-clockwise.
Underneath that is the steam release valve which you can also remove.
Then, clean those with your mild cleaners and install in the proper place again.
How To Clean The Outside Of The Instant Pot
Again, the whole Instant Pot should never be submerged in water. To clean the outside of the Instant Pot, wipe it down with a damp or dry cloth.
Step by Step Easy Instructions to Clean Your Instant Po
Equipment
- Dirty Instant Pot
Ingredients
- Cleaning Rags or Paper Towels
- Warm Water
- Vinegar
Instructions
- Unplug Instant Pot. Ensure it's cooled completely cooled
- Remove inner pot, lid, sealing ring, and float valve
- Inner pot, sealing ring, and lid are all dishwasher safe. Wash in the dishwasher, and dry completely before reassembling. Float value and steam release valve will need to be washed by hand.If you want to wash them by hand: Use warm soapy water (avoid scrubbing pad and abrasive cleaners.) All pieces of the instant pot can we wiped clean with warm soapy water, rinsed thoroughly and dried.
- Using warm soapy water, wipe down the outside surface of the instant pot to remove any smudges or food spills.
- Reassemble all parts once they've dried.
Notes
Self Cleaning An Instant Pot
It won’t work as well as the other methods, but you can also self clean an Instant Pot. Just add a cup of water, some lemon juice, and a cup of vinegar to your Instant Pot. Then set it to steam for a few minutes.
Once it’s steaming, shut it off, allow it to cool, dump out the water, and let every thing air dry.
How to Remove Blue Marks and the Rainbow from Your Stainless Steel Inner Instant Pot
Since the Instant Pot’s inner pot is stainless steel, like other stainless steel products, you may see blue marks or a rainbow-like discoloration. Follow my instructions on how to clean silver here.
You can use either a non-abrasive stainless steel cleaner or you can follow the directions on cleaning naturally with green ingredients such as vinegar. If you have hard water stains, then read my post about how to remove hard water stains from the toilet.
This method will work to get rid of hard water stains on other appliance and household items as well.
Find this pin and others like it on the DIY Cleaning Tips Pinterest Board
Instant Pot Odors
If your Instant Pot is starting to have odors, it is usually the silicone ring. First try cleaning it with vinegar. If that doesn’t work, replace it.
Instant Pot Liners
If you want to clean the pot less, consider buying Instant Pot liners. Just make sure you get the right size.
Where to find replacement parts for an Instant Pot
If you are looking for where to find replacement parts for an Instant Pot, then you have a few options.
You can find replacement parts on the Instant Pot website or on Amazon. Here are a few of the common replacement parts for Instant Pots.
Lowest Price Instant Pot
If you are looking for the lowest price Instant Pot, then I would recommend going to Amazon and adding an Instant Pot to your wish list. Then, you can set up a notification or track the price.
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Erin is the mother of identical twin girls and their slightly older brother. She is a domestic engineer, and previously had a career leading customer service teams for a major HVAC company. Cleaning without harsh chemicals, and cooking easy and usually healthy meals are part of Erin's daily life. She volunteers with youth leaders, and genuinely wants to help others win. Erin has a degree in Communications, with a focus on Broadcast Journalism.