How to Build Humidors
Like a piece of fruit, a cigar can go bad quickly under improper conditions. However, buying a humidor can be costly. But instead of storing your cigars in haphazard fashion or giving up your appreciation of cigars altogether, follow these steps for making a do-it-yourself cigar humidor inexpensively.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic food container
- 54-quart cooler
- Thermometer with hygrometer
- 1/4 cup propylene glycol (can be procured at most pharmacies)
- 1/4 distilled water
- Absorbent floral foam
Instructions
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1
Take the food container--with the top still on--and drill 7 to 10 holes about 1/8 of an inch in diameter on the top and 3 to 4 holes in the upper half of each side of the container. Leave the bottom and the bottom half of the sides without holes, providing a reservoir if the floral foam overfills.
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2
Cut out a chunk of floral foam that is a bit smaller than the space of the food container, and place it in the plastic food container.
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3
Combine 1/4 cup of distilled water and 1/4 cup of propylene glycol. Pour the mixture on the foam so that it is completely wet but not dripping. Make sure the lid is tight on the food container.
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4
Place the container in a 54-quart cooler, along with the hygrometer. Shut up the cooler and allow several days for the humidifier to reach an even 70 percent humidity.
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5
Put your cigars in the humidor.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep an eye on the humidity using the hygrometer. The foam shouldn't need more water for two or three months, but make sure to note any drops in humidity. If the humidity drops for more than a couple of days, throw away the foam and start over with a new block of foam and a fresh mixture of the the water and propylene glycol.
Propylene glycol is not a particularly dangerous chemical, but still take precautions when handling it. Wash your hands and keep the chemical away from your eyes.
