How to Season a New Humidor Before Storing Cigars
Cigar aficionados know that without a humidor, your cigars end up dried out and completely ruined. Humidors are designed to keep cigars fresh by controlling air flow and providing an environment that keeps moisture properly balanced. Learning to keep your humidor in the perfect balance starts with seasoning it correctly. If you do not season your humidor, the conditions are too dry. If you over saturate your humidor, you end up with moldy cigars.
Things You'll Need
- Clean, dry cotton cloth
- Medium-sized bowl
- Distilled water
- Soap-free, scent-free sponge
- Plastic sandwich bag
Instructions
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1
Open your humidor and dust it out with a clean cotton cloth. Dusting your humidor before seasoning removes any dust or dirt that may have fallen into the box during shipping.
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2
Fill a medium-sized bowl with distilled water. Use a bowl large enough to dip or soak a sponge in without spilling the water.
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3
Open a package of new sponges. The sponges used must not contain soap or chemicals.
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4
Dip or soak your sponge in the distilled water. Squeeze excess water out of the sponge until it feels slightly more than damp and does not drip water.
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5
Wipe down the inner lid of your humidor with the damp sponge. Wipe the inner sides of the lid down, as well.
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6
Place your sponge in the distilled water once more. Squeeze out the excess water.
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7
Wipe down the inside of your humidor including the bottom and sides.
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Put a plastic sandwich bag at the bottom of the humidor.
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Dampen the sponge with distilled water and place it on top of the plastic bag.
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Close the humidor lid and leave it alone for 24 hours.
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11
Open the humidor. Remove the sponge and plastic bag.
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12
Fill your bowl with fresh distilled water. Wet the sponge and wipe down the entire inside of the humidor exactly as you did before.
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Put a fresh plastic bag at the bottom of the humidor. Dampen your sponge and set it on the bag. Close the humidor lid and leave alone for another 24 hours.
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14
Remove the sponge and sandwich bag and begin storing your cigars.
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Tips & Warnings
Start storing a few cigars at a time after you season your humidor. Check on your stored cigars periodically and look for signs of dryness or molding. If your cigars are fine, store more in the humidor. If the humidor is too wet, air it out by leaving the lid open. Add more water to the inside of the humidor by repeating the seasoning process.
If your humidor has trays, wipe the trays down with distilled water, as well. Keep the trays in the humidor during the seasoning process.
When you wipe down your humidor, do not saturate it with water. The wood should feel slightly damp to the touch.
Never use tap water or plain water when you season your humidor. Distilled water is pure and does not contain minerals that clog wood pores. Clogged wood pores reduce the effectiveness of the humidor.
