My silpat smells like mackeral -- how do I clean it properly?

Today I made toasted siracha sunflower seeds and my silpat mat was totally siracha-fied. As mentioned in this thread, I heated my silpat in the oven, then soaked it in hot water and white vinegar - BINGO!!!! The smell is totally gone. Thank you so much for posting this solution - it was a huge help.

And by the way, "My silpat smells like mackerel," is a drop-dead conversation-stopper! Comedy Central may have you written all over it.

I finally got rid of the smell!

Soaking it with vinegar was not enough. I read online that the silicon molecules in the silpat would expand when warmed and secrete the previously soaked in oils. I first warmed the silpat up in the oven (I baked a sweet potato with it) and, while the silpat was hot, immediately soaked it in warm soapy water and white vinegar. Voila -- smells like new!

I didn't have lemon on hand, but I'm sure it would work similarly to vinegar.

My first thought is to use vinegar.

Or scrub with a paste made from warm water and baking soda. Allow it to set for ten minutes. That'll do the trick.

I'd try soaking it in hot water that's acidulated with lemon juice -- just halve a few lemons and squeeze them in to the water.