Cigar humidor how to question.

Arkad

I have a very nice finished wood humidor, with a cedar interior, in an air-conditioned house and room; I've been largely succeeding at keeping the humidity in the humidor at what I understand is the recommended level (70); I've been able to keep only an extremely few cigars in it, but now, although there is absolutely no mildew to be seen, the smell of mildew is emanating from the interior of the humidor.

So the question is:  How do I get that smell of mildew out of the humidor (and what to do with the cigars in the process)? 

kaspera79

What type of humidification device do you use.. If you have the foam block that often comes with humidors , that may be where the odor is coming from. It often develops mold, get something else in there. Beads are better, even the gell water pillows would be a better choice. they can be replaced often and are cheap. I would give the interior of the humidor a light sanding to " wake up" the cedar aroma too.

Arkad

I was given the humidor used and it came with a 2-piece rectangular black plastic vented humidifier which contained a green foam element which appeared similar to the green foam which florists use. However, that humidifier was fragile when I received it and became more so enough so that continuing to work with it ceased to be an option.

So then, I ordered from cigar.com the one-piece round plastic vented humidifier (which, to my best guess, may also use a green foam inside, same as or similar to what florists use); I also asked whether or not I was using correct procedure (distilled water + humidifier once per month), and I was told that yes I am using the correct procedure with it.

Next, after receiving the new round humidifier and proceeding with it, for a little while it seemed to work ok on its' own, keeping the humidity around 70 all by itself. But then it evidentlhy commenced letting the humidity go dropping no matter what I did, and so I began adding a water gell pillow in the humidor and so now apparently it takes both of them to keep the humidity up about 70 as long as I get the round humidifier in the distilled water once a month.

All of this has happened and is happening without me opening the humidor up any more often or longer than I usually do. I open it only extremely briefly, once or twice a week when I check the humidity; once, or sometime less often than once a week or a month to get one cigar out or maybe put 1 to 4 cigars in, and once a month to service or supply for humidification, and nearly always the humidor has extremely few cigars in it, less than enough to completely cover the bottom of it.

Now, to top it all off, as I said before, there's that mildew smell emanating from inside the humidor and I'm wondering what caused it, how to solve that problem, and how to get the mildew smell out of my humidor.

Oh, and everything in it has the smell of mildew on it...the interior of the humidor (floor, walls, and the underside of the top, the cedar divider piece, both humidification devices (the round, and the pillow), and even the wrappers on the two wrapped up cigars which are in there at this time. So, understandably, I'm still wondering:: What to do and how to do it, here?

From what you said,  are such as the round humidifier I have, through cigar.com, the or a major source of the problem and should be taken out, just putting only such as a gell water pillow in instead, and doing a light sanding of the interior would solve this problem? Or?

I sincerely thank you for your information and that from any others.

gmill880

Boveda Packs-Google it ...

Goldy

My opinion would be to get a different humidity device like boveda packs or beads. Then I would take everything out and air it out for a week or so to try and get the smell out. In the mean time I would put the cigars in a tubberware container with your humidity packs with the lid cracked. Then you would need to reseason the humidor before you put your sticks back in.

Arkad

Apparently perhaps, for some alien reason, cigar.com's site won't let me post this all in one piece, so now I'll try to post it in pieces as follows:

Arkad

Thank you, kaspera79 and Goldy, for your helpful and friendly information and advice.

Arkad

At this point I’m thinking in terms of ceasing to use the black plastic humidifier (even though that could seem questionable since even cigar.com advises about the use of it and sells it), “airing out” my humidor for a week, in the meantime storing my cigars with a water gel bag in a plastic bag in which cigar.com sent them to me (which is the only other thing I have in which all 3 things will fit into), giving a “light sanding” to the humidor interior in order to “wake up the cedar”, and relying on the use of water gel pillows in my humidor from that time onward, or at least until I’ve asked and learned here more about those humidification devices here being called “beads” and “boveda packs”.

Arkad

So now 2 questions:

 

Is what I’m thinking of doing really a good way to go, or?

 

While I and anybody else may "Google" them, I am convinced it is better to ask such as my fellow “cigar.com” members about those humidification devices here being called “beads” and “boveda packs”. So, will anybody here please also inform and advise me about those “beads” and “boveda packs”?

gmill880

Arkad:

So now 2 questions:

 

Is what I’m thinking of doing really a good way to go, or?

 

While I and anybody else may "Google" them, I am convinced it is better to ask such as my fellow “cigar.com” members about those humidification devices here being called “beads” and “boveda packs”. So, will anybody here please also inform and advise me about those “beads” and “boveda packs”?

The Boveda Packs may be a little more expensive over time BUT ...They are the bomb. Choose between 72, 69 and 65's depending on what you prefer. I use the 69's. drop them in your humi and forget about them. Rh will stay pretty much within 2 % one way or the other. No maintenance, no water,no wondering if they are working correctly. I use 2 for the first 50 cigars and one more for each 40 cigars thereafter. Their site recommends changing every 8 weeks but mine have worked perfect for 10-12 weeks in the past with no noticable fluctuation to speak of. They are bi-directional , not only will they maintain your rh level they will remove moisture as well if needed from your humidor. They are for lack of a better description 'idiot proof'. You can't beat their reliability and NO maintenance !!!

Goldy

I have never heard of anyone who has sanded a humidor but if you can't get the smell out from airing it out and you don't want to use it with that smell then I say go for it. For me it would be a last resort.

I use two humidity methods, a few ccom humi pouches and some beads I got off ebay for about 5 bucks. I try to check on the humidity every couple of days or so but it is always at 70% in the summer and 67ish in the winter so I am happy.