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Ruined Humidor?

So I look in one of my humidors the other week. Apparently I neglected it too long. Out of town, etc. The sponge was covered in mold, stuck to the bottom. Yeah I'm pissed at myself. Only lost a few cigars though. I have never seen so much mold in a humidor. It actually went through the bottom panel of the humidor. What the hell??!!. I cleaned it off best I could and then used a bleach cleaner spray to help kill it all the way through. I treated it many times and pretty sure I killed it all. Dried it out for weeks. I can't smell chemicals. The question I have is: did I ruin my humidor for any future cigar holdings and is it now just a mantelpiece? --Maimer12

Comments

  • ejenne87ejenne87 Posts: 1,925 ✭✭
    I don't know what the rest of the guys here will think but I know that I would never use that humi again unfortunately. Hopefully you didn't spend a lot on this one and you can get a new one, maybe even a bigger one, and be alright.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭
    I had a humi that had mold in it due to a sponge and I still use it for my gurkha reserves. Never had an issue with it since. Though i now use beads. I'm not saying you should use it again, just in my case it worked out.
  • GoldyGoldy Posts: 1,638 ✭✭
    I would season it back up to RH and see if its doing well. After a few weeks/month check for mold and if it comes back I would toss it. If not then I think you should be ok.
  • bacon.jaybacon.jay Posts: 720 ✭✭✭
    phobicsquirrel:
    I had a humi that had mold in it due to a sponge and I still use it for my gurkha reserves. Never had an issue with it since. Though i now use beads. I'm not saying you should use it again, just in my case it worked out.

    Goldy:
    I would season it back up to RH and see if its doing well. After a few weeks/month check for mold and if it comes back I would toss it. If not then I think you should be ok.


    I agree with squirrel and goldilocks on this one. Get some beads for it, and reseason it, and if the mold comes back, just toss it. The mold probably won't come back if the Rh doesn't get too high, and by using beads you can help prevent that.

  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    Before you do anything with it, mix up a solution of 5 parts warm water, distilled if you like, and one part white vinegar, then wipe down the entire humidor with the mix and let it air dry, maybe even wipe it down a second time to be safe. The vinegar will kill any remaining mold and evaporate without leaving a smell. Then follow the advice given above.
  • bforresterbforrester Posts: 16
    Probably wouldn't hurt to throw in a bowl of baking soda for a day or two to help absorb odors from the bleach as well.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    Who's using bleach? That would be a terrible thing to use.

    Nevermind, I re-read the original post...maybe baking soda would be a good idea if bleach was already used.
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    I agree, reseason and get some beads. I never use foam anymore. If the mold comes back, then toss it.

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • jihiggsjihiggs Posts: 469 ✭✭
    just to be safe I would sand it out a bit, before reseasoning. in the future, use vinegar to clean mold.
  • clearlysuspectclearlysuspect Posts: 2,124 ✭✭✭✭
    I had mold problems back when I first started keeping my humidor. I followed pretty much all the advice given here by most of the same guys. I haven't had mold since.

    Definately get rid of the sponge. Those things are mold magnets!!!!
  • HeavyHeavy Posts: 1,591 ✭✭✭
    I had some mold problems as well when I was first starting out with my humi, but I managed to salvage everything. One question - what did the mold look like? Was if full blown black and green nasty stuff, or just the early stages with the white mold?
  • JZJZ Posts: 827
    Maimer...it appears you have "maimed" your humi!

    I would fill it with Ghurkas and Puros Indios so that you dont ever have to smoke them! I say throw it up on craigslist, then its someone elses problem! (and no I dont work for T....I just stole their sales practice!!!)
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    JZ:
    Maimer...it appears you have "maimed" your humi!

    I would fill it with Ghurkas and Puros Indios so that you dont ever have to smoke them! I say throw it up on craigslist, then its someone elses problem! (and no I dont work for T....I just stole their sales practice!!!)
    lol

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • It was the black and green nasty stuff.
  • Thanks guys for all the help. I'll shoot for the vinegar trick and see how it goes. --Maimer
  • humi is trashed! I use it for cigar accessories now. I have three more as back ups though now
  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    It's about time you updated on this one, Two years is a long time to make us wait. Actually, I had forgotten :?
  • JDHJDH Posts: 2,107
    maimer12:
    So I look in one of my humidors the other week. Apparently I neglected it too long. Out of town, etc. The sponge was covered in mold, stuck to the bottom. Yeah I'm pissed at myself. Only lost a few cigars though. I have never seen so much mold in a humidor. It actually went through the bottom panel of the humidor. What the hell??!!. I cleaned it off best I could and then used a bleach cleaner spray to help kill it all the way through. I treated it many times and pretty sure I killed it all. Dried it out for weeks. I can't smell chemicals. The question I have is: did I ruin my humidor for any future cigar holdings and is it now just a mantelpiece? --Maimer12
    Try this method from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cigars-2143/mold-humidor.htm

    To remove the mold from your humidor, what you need to do first is remove all the mold-infected cigars (check all your cigars in tubes and cellophane as well) and relocate your unharmed cigars to a temporary storage container such as another humidor, travel humidor, (clean) Tupperware container or humi-pouch. Next, gently brush out and vacuum any mold particles inside your humidor.

    If your humidor has compartments, trays or drawers, be sure to thoroughly vacuum every hidden crevice to remove any residual mold spores. Once your humidor has been thoroughly vacuumed, take a brand new and clean sponge and gently wipe the entire humidor interior down with a tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol. Don't use too much as alcohol can ruin your humidor. (However, in a situation like this, you need to clean your humidor thoroughly and ensure that it's free of mold so you'll have to use alcohol.)

    Replace or disinfect your humidifiers thoroughly (replacing them entirely is often the best option) and let your humidor sit on its own for a week with a fully charged humidifier. After a week, check if any mold has come back. If there's no mold, you can safely return all the uninfected cigars back to the humidor.

    There's also this advice from http://www.lsrlifestyle.com/blog/?p=247

    Mold!

    Keep an eye on your humidor. Check on it every day. One day, however, you might see some greenish, bluish, or some kind of color of the rainbow. Bad news is, you have a mold problem. The good news is, however, you can deal with it, and will most likely salvage your cigars.

    Mold is caused by too much humidification (and too high a temperature as well, hence the 70/70 rule). You go over 80%, you are asking for trouble. And the longer you allow that humidity to stay higher, the more like you are to find those furry little substances that are not your friends.

    The good news, again, is that your cigars will most likely be okay, just as long as you catch this problem early enough. Here is how you should properly get rid of your mold:

    Wash your hands and immediately remove your cigars from the humidor. Inspect each and every cigar, checking for mold. Isolate any cigars you find that are compromised, and place the rest in zip-lock airtight bags.

    Remove the humidifier so that the box is completely empty, and rinse the humidifier in distilled water to clean it.

    Repeat the calibration process for the hygrometer.

    Take some sandpaper and sand out the really gritty mold first. This will help remove any mold spores that are on their way to making you cigars nothing but a fond memory. Take the hose extension of your vacuum cleaner and suck out as much mold as you can from the humidor.

    Take some isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the interior of your humidor completely with a paper towel. This is to make sure that any microscopic mold spores you can’t see have been eliminated. Apply more alcohol to the cloth as needed, but don’t over do it.

    Wipe down your humidor once more, this time with 100% steamed distilled water on a paper towel (not the usual distilled water; using that will dilute the alcohol that has seeped into the wood). Be sure not to overdo it, just give it a once over.

    Keep your humidor open for about 5 minutes or so, or until the wood is dry, just like you did before preparing your humidor, before putting your cigars back in.
  • jr_p951jr_p951 Posts: 1,121
    kaspera79:
    It's about time you updated on this one, Two years is a long time to make us wait. Actually, I had forgotten :?
    I noticed the date on this one too! Talk about digging up an old thread!!
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