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green mold

I need to pick some brains here, at times I place orange peels in my humidor. Couple of weeks ago my humidity was below 70 so I placed my element in distilled water and placed back in my box. My box when I do this shoots up to close to 100 percent, I then crack open my box a bit and even remove the element to get the humidity down. Today I was placing some new cigar in and I had green mold on an orange peel on the 2nd level of my humditor.. I removed the peels and removed all the cigars, some close to the mold where wrapped so they were okay a couple I threw out. I washed out the bottom of the box and also I placed it in the sun to dry out.  I guess I know what caused it the high humidity in the box plus the peels. It seems that when my humidity gets under 70 and a dip my element in distilled water and place back into box, my humidity shoots way up and at times takes a while to come down. I used to make it sit in distilled for 3 minutes, but last time for a minute and I still had the problem. I have about 40 cigars in my box.. going forward the peels are a done deal, but the high rise of the humidity and the time it takes to level out drives me nuts.

Is there a better way to do things before I blow all my cigars?

Plus I live in florida, and keep my box which has 2 levels and a glass top in a desk cabinet. Any idea's should I take it out of closet, leave on desk?

Any advise would help, maybe better system to buy for humidity?

Thanks I need a smoke...

Jerry..

 

Comments

  • dutyjedutyje Posts: 2,263
    What is this "element" you speak of? Is it just the humidifier that came with your humidor? If so, that is most certainly why you are seeing huge humidity fluctuations. You need to prime that humidifier with some PG solution first. Also, orange peels? wtf?
  • havanaalhavanaal Posts: 155 ✭✭
    Don't get the orange peel thing, but just out of curiosity, if the humidity spikes to 80 for a bit, what's the harm? Shoot, in the summer here the RH is frequently over 80 just leaving my cigars on the shelf of my office!
  • yes it the element that came with the box, i will try the pg solution. The orange peels came from a friend that made the box smell nice and absorbed the humidity a bit. Live and and learn right..

    thanks

    Jerry.

  • bass8844bass8844 Posts: 416
    I've never heard of the orange peel thing. You say its to make your humi smell nice? I think my humi smells just fine....like cigars!

    To me it doesn't sound like a good idea. First of all, leave an orange on the counter for a while....seems like it attracts mold. I wouldn't want that in my humi. Secondly, you might be introducing a new flavor to your smokes...orange infused maybe?

    Try out the beads. We've talked about them before here, and I'm sure this won't be the last time. The "element" that comes with the humidor pretty much sucks too...they attract mold too if you get them too wet (if you have to use them, don't soak them, just add a little bit of water at a time)

    Beads will give off as well as absorb humidity, give them a try. I did, and haven't looked back since.
  • ya. bad idea..   i will try the beads tnks..
  • JKTexJKTex Posts: 92
    While I can see the nice smell angle of the orange peel, I think a humidor with cigars isn't the place for it.  For one, an orange peel is from a live fruit.  It's got natural live elements, bacteria etc. that will grow mold naturally as it should.  It's going though a natural process that is letting off elements that don't need to be trapped in a humidor.
  • dep691dep691 Posts: 311
    Orange peels,,,,,,,,,lmao,,,,,,,,,your joking right
  • Hey bass-when you talk about the beads, are you talking the jar with the little jel beads in it that you put the 50-50 pg solution in?
  • bass8844bass8844 Posts: 416
    I think what you're talking about is the gel jars. Those are different. Some people use those, but what I was refering to were humidity beads. I'm sure you could search this forum, or do a web search. They work well, and I, as many other fellas here would strongly recommend them.
  • Thanks Bass-I'll do that right now.
  • jihiggsjihiggs Posts: 469 ✭✭
    orange peels make the sink disposal smell good, not your humidor! lets see, humidor = nice humid, dark space with bad air circulation. good place to grow mold = humid, dark space with bad air circulation. rofl
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