Why Silicone Toddler Plates Smell
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If you've ever stood at the sink holding your toddler's silicone plate, taken one sniff, and immediately put it back for another cycle — this post is for you.
The question every NZ parent eventually googles
"How to get soap smell out of silicone plates."
If you've typed that into Google at 10pm while doing the dishes, you're not alone. It's one of the most commonly searched toddler mealtime problems in New Zealand — and the answers you find are almost always the same:
- Try white vinegar
- Boil them
- Leave them in the sun
- Baking soda paste
- Buy new ones
Here's the thing nobody tells you: none of these actually work. Not permanently. And there's a very good reason for that.
Why silicone toddler plates smell (the actual reason)
Silicone is a porous material. That means it has microscopic gaps in its surface that absorb whatever they come into contact with — including the detergent from your dishwasher or hand wash, odours from food, and residue from repeated wash cycles.
Over time, those absorbed molecules don't wash out. They build up. And eventually, what started as a brand new, odour-free plate starts to smell faintly — and sometimes not so faintly — like the inside of your dishwasher.
This is not a manufacturing defect. It's not because you chose a bad brand. It's not because you're washing them wrong. It's just what silicone does. It's a fundamental property of the material.
The white vinegar helps temporarily because the acid neutralises some of the odour molecules on the surface. But it doesn't reach what's absorbed deeper into the material. A few more wash cycles and the smell is back.
The sun trick works on the same principle — UV breaks down surface odour molecules. Again, temporary.
Boiling can help a little more, but the absorption has already happened at a molecular level. You're not getting that out with hot water.
So what actually fixes it?
The honest answer is: nothing fixes it long-term. Once silicone has absorbed enough detergent and odour over enough wash cycles, the smell is there to stay.
The real fix is switching to a material that doesn't absorb in the first place.
That's ceramic.
Why ceramic toddler plates don't smell
Ceramic is a non-porous material. Its surface is sealed — there are no microscopic gaps for detergent, odour, or food residue to work their way into.
What that means practically is simple: after one wash or after five hundred washes, a ceramic plate comes out of your dishwasher smelling like nothing. Because nothing has been absorbed. Because nothing can be absorbed.
Your child's food tastes exactly like food. Not like your dishwasher. Not like the lavender dish soap you switched to hoping it would help. Just food.
It also means ceramic doesn't stain the way silicone does. Tomato-based sauces, blueberries, curry — on silicone, these leave a mark that doesn't fully wash out. On ceramic, they rinse clean.
The bottom line
If your silicone toddler plate smells, there is no permanent fix. The material absorbs, and over time that absorption builds up beyond what any hack or trick can reverse.
The real answer is ceramic — a non-porous material that doesn't absorb, doesn't stain, and doesn't retain odour no matter how many wash cycles it goes through.
If you're ready to make the switch, we'd love to help.