sponge humidifier

JT

I just purchased the rectangle humidifier available from this site for $14.95. I am very new with cigar smoking so please bear with me. Do I have to soak the sponge in distilled water? If so, what is the best way to do it. My humidor fits 75 cigars. It still isn't seasoned, I haven't installed the humidifier, and my order of 75+ cigars just came in. (Cigar.com very fast shipping) Please help. How long do I have before my cigars start drying? Thank you for your help.

kuzi16

first worry about the cigars. get them in ziploc or tupperware. they should be good for about a week in there.

ad far as the foam goes:
when i used the foam i would put a few drops in the foam and let it soak in, thena few more drops. when it wouldnaccept any more i would wipe off the extra and go with that.

seasoning a humidor can take place over night if you do it right. get a wide flatish bowl and fill it with water. let it sit in there untill the humidity is between 70 and 72. the ideal situation is to have it at 70 for a day or two before you add the cigars.
Some people think its ok to wipe down the interior with distilled water and that will speed up the seasoning proscess. I think that if you arent careful this could add too much moisture too quick and wipeing it down should be left to professionals (or dare devils). I did it to my first humidor and it turned out ok (lucky i guess) my last two were the "long" way

I hope this helped

pilot711

Kuzi16 is right on. Good advise. Also if your cigars from ccom came with water pillows put those in the ziplock or tupperware with the cigars. Also you can wet a sponge with distilled water put it in another ziplock with small holes in it and put that in there. Either will keep your stogies from drying out. Bovida make a seasoning pack that does a great job. You could look into that but it sounds like you are in a hurry. If I was in a hurry I would do the Bowl of distilled water as Kuzi16 said and also wipe down with distilled water. BE CAREFUL! Just enough on a towel to wet the interior once a day then put the bowl of water in. This still takes a few days in my experience. If your humi is not seasoned right it will dry out your cigars worse than just leaving them out because the cedar will actually absorb the moisture from your cigars. Good luck. Take your time.

rmccloud

It has been mentioned in other posts on here as well as on other sites that I have looked at, that you microwaving the water for 10 to 15 seconds will help in the process. I believe that warming the water helps in the evoporation process. I did this with my humidor and it helped to get it seasoned quicker.

JT

Thanks to all. Very helpful. I've done all you suggested, just waiting till tomorrow to put the cigars in the humidor. Is there a better humidifier sytem that you all use. I see some people talking about beads. Any good?

kuzi16

JT:

I see some people talking about beads. Any good?

thats all i use

pilot711

kuzi16:

JT:

I see some people talking about beads. Any good?

thats all i use

Same here. Once I started with the beads I was surprised how much easier everything became. Very easy and very stable.

ashmaster

pilot711:

kuzi16:

JT:

I see some people talking about beads. Any good?

thats all i use

Same here. Once I started with the beads I was surprised how much easier everything became. Very easy and very stable.

This is all I use, it is so easy and convenient. Probably the most important point, the humidity level is very consistant.