Resetting silicone components
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:45 pm
I like to use airtight containers that contain silicone components for storing things like tea and coffee.
Recently, I wanted to repurpose a container with coffee for tea. Unfortunately, the coffee smell was pretty strong. Cleaning with dish soap got rid of the smells from the plastic and metal components - but the silicone parts were still very smelly.
Looking online, common recommendations include soaking with percarbonate or vinegar and scrubbing with baking soda. None of these things worked. However - this worked:
Preheat oven to 250 F.
Place components on aluminum sheet and bake for 20 minutes
Do sniff test - if still smelly, continue for 10 minutes
Continue until smell is gone
Rinse with water and scrub with soap
It is from here:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog ... tchenware/
This article includes some precautions:
Update: I've found 350 F for 30+ minutes more effective. There is of course higher risk
Recently, I wanted to repurpose a container with coffee for tea. Unfortunately, the coffee smell was pretty strong. Cleaning with dish soap got rid of the smells from the plastic and metal components - but the silicone parts were still very smelly.
Looking online, common recommendations include soaking with percarbonate or vinegar and scrubbing with baking soda. None of these things worked. However - this worked:
Preheat oven to 250 F.
Place components on aluminum sheet and bake for 20 minutes
Do sniff test - if still smelly, continue for 10 minutes
Continue until smell is gone
Rinse with water and scrub with soap
It is from here:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog ... tchenware/
This article includes some precautions:
Before you go throwing a bunch of kitchenware into your oven, there are a few very important things to know:
Most important, as mentioned above, this trick works only for items that are 100 percent silicone or otherwise extremely heatproof. Please do not put plastic ice cube trays or spatulas with plastic handles into a hot oven. The heat will ruin the tool, and maybe ruin your oven. If you’re at all unsure what an item is made of, check the manufacturer’s website to find out. And note that certain materials, like the rubbery handle on our favorite OXO whisk, look and feel like silicone but aren’t and will melt.Silicones in general are stable at high temperatures, and I haven’t noticed any changes to my ice cube trays after baking them several times. But items like ice cube trays haven’t necessarily been heat tested by the manufacturer. If that makes you uncomfortable, you should stick to using this technique only on items like silicone cake pans, which have been heat tested.
Update: I've found 350 F for 30+ minutes more effective. There is of course higher risk