Cat litter instead of beads?

J.S.

I know that several guys posted quite a while ago about using the silica gel cat litter instead of beads. I need beads now so I was thinking about changing over but I was wondering how that was working for everyone who had tried it. Thanks in advance for the help.

Lee.mcglynn

Honestly I have not used the kitty litter but I have heard you need to experiment with it till you get it to hold the rh of your choice. IMO I go boveda or heartfelt! Both of these are fool proof and you can be sure that they hold your preferred rh instead of going crazy trying to figure out how much of what will work with the litter

Cazzie13

I have constantly had issues with humidity in my humidor. Recently bought heartfelt beads they are expensive but so are my cigars. I looked into the cat litter and decided although it was cheaper I didn't want to take a chance. Just my 2 cents.

Lasabar

Non-sented cat litter works just fine. I've never used it myself, but those that remember Maddy, he used it without negative results....
Just don't get drunk and think you can plss on your cigars!

J.S.

Lasabar:

Non-sented cat litter works just fine. I've never used it myself, but those that remember Maddy, he used it without negative results....
Just don't get drunk and think you can plss on your cigars!

LOL! Thanks. I think I am going to try it. If it works great if not I will just go back to the beads.

kuzi16

it has to be the unscented "pearls"
and you have to train them.

blurr

Never used it, and never understood the "train them" deal litter lovers explain. If they say its the same stuff, silica beads, why do I need to put a leash on it and train it for it to work properly? I mean its the same stuff it should work the same way right? Also users I have followed will admit it can mold very quickly, it can give off silica dust yum!, it can create a nasty stench if not changed regularly, do I need to go on? To each his own but those are the reasons I will gladly pay a bit more for beads engineered to meet my needs. 65 RH from heartfelt rock in solid after 4 years and not one issue, so until I have a problem I stick with what has worked for me. Granted that's just my opinion but learn from experience and if litter pearls work for you then you saved money, but my stash has taken me Years to stock and build and I want something I know works for me.

Krieger

whats this training? I have had them for almost a year now, easy... i empty the old ccom fel humi jars and put the litter in there... get it a bit wet and stick it in. (giggity) For my large coolidor... i put the litter in stockings... total cost for litter and stockings was like... $5? maybe 7? and i still have pounds left in the bag... holds my humi between 66 and 68. havent recharged them in months either.

kuzi16

Krieger:

whats this training?

you trained them, you just dont know you did.

basically you just keep them in an environment where the RH is where you want it to be for a few weeks. then just treat as beads as far as i can tell. your stable environment was a stable humidor already at 68%

allsmokedup

I use Mimi unscented kitty litter from Walmart. I think a 5 lb bag is ~6 dollars.

As for the dust concerns: are you using the litter as beads in maracas and shaking them around? I just put them in one of those little cream cheese containers and some in one of those little 8 oz water bottles. Dust doesn't go everywhere if you don't start thrashing about.

I have some gel and maybe 0.50 to 0.75 lbs of beads in my cooler. I never sprayed the beads, just put them in with the gel and a bit of water in a shot glass. I just pulled the shot glass when it got to the level I wanted. As far as RH variance goes, I've only seen it in the 68-73 range. If the litter absorbs any nasty smells, I can just toss it and add more since it's so cheap.

phobicsquirrel

if you have cats don't leave the humi open, that's all I'm going to say....

reggie713

im always lookin to save a buck, BUT, ive only been in the hobby a short time, im stickin with beads, they come highly recommended, and not that expensive for a 1 time buy

J.S.

allsmokedup:

I use Mimi unscented kitty litter from Walmart. I think a 5 lb bag is ~6 dollars.


As for the dust concerns: are you using the litter as beads in maracas and shaking them around? I just put them in one of those little cream cheese containers and some in one of those little 8 oz water bottles. Dust doesn't go everywhere if you don't start thrashing about.


I have some gel and maybe 0.50 to 0.75 lbs of beads in my cooler. I never sprayed the beads, just put them in with the gel and a bit of water in a shot glass. I just pulled the shot glass when it got to the level I wanted. As far as RH variance goes, I've only seen it in the 68-73 range. If the litter absorbs any nasty smells, I can just toss it and add more since it's so cheap.

Thanks for the input on this. It is good to hear that they are working fine and the brand used is a good starting point for me too. I appreciate it. I can not image that dust would be a big issue, the most you could disturb them is opening the door, what is that compared to a cat scratching around? LOL

BigT06

I wonder if I mixed a couple lbs of beads and a couple lbs of litter pearls if they would train themselves automatically... that would be cool. Then I would have a couple more lbs of buffering ability.

Unthought_Known

I bought some generic unscented kitty litter (silica beads) from target, I think around 2008. I've never had an issue. I use them in my cooler, my bigger barrister bookcase humidor, and my desktops. No problems in 4 years. I've never 'trained' them. I've never used distilled water. I just put them in my humidor, and if the humidity gets a little low I put some tap water in them.

For my desktop humidor, I put those in an empty tin (the Romeo Y Julieta Habana Reserve tins of 10 cigars, i think they're 4x32 cigars). I put a bunch of nail holes in the top of it, and it works like a charm. Put a little water every couple weeks and you're set.