Big Mike

Caring For Your Humidor

Here are a few quick tips to begin enjoying your humidor. First, get a good container from the kitchen that will allow the humidifier to lie flat in it. I use a Rubbermaid plastic container with a lid. You can save the leftover water in it. Next, buy a gallon of DISTILLED WATER. Most important. It reduces the chances of mold growing on your cigars in the summer. Pour the water in the container so that the humidifier will float. Cover and wait 10/15 minutes. Take the humidifier out, wipe dry, and replace on the metal strip on the lid. It should feel noticably heavier. Put it in your humidor. Now that wasn't hard.
It may take 2 or 3 days for your humidor to come up to temperature. Try to keep it in a constant temperature enviroment, it will control the humidity easily. Don't put the humidor in your trunk or the back of your hatchback where the temp goes way up. It will ruin your cigars and attitude. If you travel with your humidor, try to keep it in the back seat with a towel over it to keep the sun off and the temp fairly constant.
Depending on your local and humidity, you should need to refill the humidifier every 25 to 35 days. A gallon of distilled water will last a good year at that rate. Don't wait until its dry, refill when the humidity gets down to 67 or 66%. In very humid times, you may have to remove the humidifier completely from the humidor for a couple of days. You may only use 1 humidifier all summer. If your humidifier fails to absorb water take the same container of water and put 4 or 5 drops of unsented kitchen dish soap. Set the humidifier in it for 5 minutes and its good as new.
If you notice sap forming on the spanish cedar interior, don't panic. It's no big deal. Remove your cigars, gently wipe the sap with lacquer thinner, sand with 150 grit sandpaper, let the box air out, and presto-good as new. That sap usually appears when the humidity gets way up there, so again, try to keep the temp constant.
If you happen to run out of cigars and are not going to keep your humidor up and running, REMOVE THE HUMIDIFIER. Otherwise the hygrometer and humidifier will cover with sap. A pain to clean.
Now for the digital hygrometer and temperature gauge. On the back there is a removable plastic piece with a arrow on it. Remove that panel. Take a toothpick (or similar object) and pop out the battery. Use the toothpick to remove the opaque plastic strip. Replace the battery with the writing up. Replace the plastic cover. Turn on to it's face and peel back the cover over the screen. The battery should last a year or so, and replacements are available at most hardware stores.

- Big Mike

www.bigmikescigars.com