Mildew on humidity bead bag?

jfaciane

Hello everyone, I have a question for the BOTLs on here. I was checking the humidity in my humidor and while looking at the beads for dryness I noticed a couple black, slimy substance. I removed the beads and the bag from the humidor and emptied them in a Tupperware container. I washed the bag but it still has some of that black and slimy stuff on the stitching of the bag in some areas. Anyone have any ideas as to what this is and how it may have gotten there in the first place? I used distiller water to re humidify my beads but the water is a few years old. Is it still good? Thanks in advance.

Gray4lines

Sounds like a mold, or mildew? How much of it was there? I've never had anything grow on beads before though.

jfaciane

Gray4lines:

Sounds like a mold, or mildew? How much of it was there? I've never had anything grow on beads before though.

Actually it wasn't on the beads. Just the bag they were in. I have no clue as to what this was or how it go there. I believe it's a mildew. It looks as if it was from tap water or something for sitting too long ya know? But it's distiller water. Oh well, I'll just toss that water and pick up a fresh gallon of the stuff.

Gray4lines

Yeah, might as well. It's less than $1. I too use the same gallon of water though, for a year I bet, and it is doing fine. Maybe the bag got too wet at one point? Do you mist your beads through the bag? Maybe it got too wet in one spot and grew something.

jfaciane

Gray4lines:

Yeah, might as well. It's less than $1. I too use the same gallon of water though, for a year I bet, and it is doing fine. Maybe the bag got too wet at one point? Do you mist your beads through the bag? Maybe it got too wet in one spot and grew something.

Oh man, seriously! I feel like an idiot now. No I didn't mist them. I took them out the humidor and put the bag and beads on a clean plate of bowl and slowly poured the water, lol! I'll definitely mist them from now on. Thanks Gray.

Roberto99

I'm guessing you did but I have to ask...did you clean your humidor and check all your cigars?

Gray4lines

jfaciane:

Gray4lines:

Yeah, might as well. It's less than $1. I too use the same gallon of water though, for a year I bet, and it is doing fine. Maybe the bag got too wet at one point? Do you mist your beads through the bag? Maybe it got too wet in one spot and grew something.

Oh man, seriously! I feel like an idiot now. No I didn't mist them. I took them out the humidor and put the bag and beads on a clean plate of bowl and slowly poured the water, lol! I'll definitely mist them from now on. Thanks Gray.

Oooh, I see. Yes, that may have caused your problem! I was implying that maybe you "oversprayed" one spot and maybe that wet side of the bag got turned on the bottom and couldnt breathe or something. But, the pouring method you have used probably caused the same type of problem.

If youre still buying new water, pick up a small spray bottle in the travel isle too. What I do is hold the nozzle almost right on the bag (I use pantyhose tied at the end) and spray maybe 2-3 times. That is usually plenty.

blurr

This is the main reason I switched to just placing a small cup of distilled water in my humidors when the beads need recharged. No more spraying directly, they pull from the air slowly and then I just remove and wash the distilled cup to reuse later. I was getting a mildew smell on my beads last year and I feel it was from spraying them so much. Plus I needed more but that's all better now. Make sure you either throw out or really wash that bag well before reusing it. Personally I would get a new bag, assuming they are cheap. Keep in mind its possible if u were spraying thru the bag that over time the bag was staying too damp and that's why you had mildew growing. Just a thought, but that would be my 1st guess.

Rhamlin

blurr:

This is the main reason I switched to just placing a small cup of distilled water in my humidors when the beads need recharged. No more spraying directly, they pull from the air slowly and then I just remove and wash the distilled cup to reuse later. I was getting a mildew smell on my beads last year and I feel it was from spraying them so much. Plus I needed more but that's all better now. Make sure you either throw out or really wash that bag well before reusing it. Personally I would get a new bag, assuming they are cheap. Keep in mind its possible if u were spraying thru the bag that over time the bag was staying too damp and that's why you had mildew growing. Just a thought, but that would be my 1st guess.

Theres someone else on here does that to and only very rarely.

Gray4lines

That was Marty's (jlmarta) method. He never added water directly to beads. This is also a good way, and Ive done it numerous times.

jfaciane

Thanks for all the help guys and all of you have given me great advice. I seem to have kept the bag too wet and mildew grew. I use the methods mentioned above from now on. I'll pick up a spray bottle today. Again, thanks everyone.

Cigary

Had that happen to me a few years ago and now I don't use those bags...or the floral foam...just a straight KL fan here. I use 1/2 inch high containers that work perfectly and spread the KL in the container...mist them and it keeps perfect RH.