How to Get a Humidor Going
The key to starting a humidor is to raise the moisture content of the cedar inside lining to the point that the humidor doesn't dry out your cigars. You can do this slowly over a period of about a week, or you can speed the process along by wiping the interior wood surfaces with distilled water. Use a hygrometer to monitor the humidity level so you don't over- or under-humidify the humidor. High humidity can promote mold and mildew. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Starting a Humidor
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1
Clean out the humidor interior. Wipe or blow out dust and debris. Polish interior glass surfaces. Do not use cleaners that are scented or leave a film. Don't use anything that can be absorbed into the cedar lining except distilled water.
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2
Wipe down the interior cedar with distilled water. Use a new sterile sponge. Rinse it with tap water, then distilled water. Wipe the cedar to moisten it. Don't let water drip or stand on the wood. Use several light applications instead of one drenching to ensure you don't stain the wood, warp it or raise the grain.
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3
Put the sponge in a glass tray with distilled water inside the humidor. Close the humidor and let it stand for 24 to 48 hours. The moisture in the sponge will slowly work its way into the cedar. Use a hygrometer to measure the humidity. The wood will be seasoned when the humidity is more than 90 percent.
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4
Take out the sponge and dish and put in a humidifier before you store your cigars. You can get inexpensive gel humidifiers that maintain humidity around 70 percent--perfect for storing and aging cigars.
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5
Fill the humidifier with distilled water. A gel humidifier is filled with dried crystals that absorb water and maintain humidity. When you fill the humidifier with water, the crystals disappear as the gel expands. The humidifier needs to be refilled when its crystals start to reappear as they dry out.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't store cigars in tubes--they can dry out and become brittle. Take cigars out of the tubes and expose them to the proper humidity inside your humidor. Leaving cellophane on cigars is OK. The cellophane will breathe, keeping the cigars exposed to the humidity and allowing them to maintain their flavor.
Clean the glass inside your humidor by taking out the glass panels if it's possible to remove them. You don't want any cleaners to be absorbed into the cedar lining.
