Couldn't find any mold in the humi anywhere other than on the beads. Humi is a 150 ct. And I didn't find any really moist spots. The gel beads are in a plastic cannister about the size of a beanie weenie can (thats the only relation I can think of ). And i just moisten them with monster venom about once a month and it has been keeping my RH at about 61-62 steady for the past 3 or 4 months.
Do a search for mold on here. I had an issue years ago before I discovered beads. I want to say i wiped down the inside of my humi with a vinegar/water mixture to kill the spores. There can still be spores in there even if you don't see them. It's been a long time since I had to deal with this, so I can't remember everything. So like I said, do a search - there should be tons of good info/advice on dealing with this buried in here somewhere. And everything is definitely not lost!!! You'll be fine if you nip it in the bud and switch over to beads.
Here's the good news...a lot of cigar people will store their cigars as low as 59% RH and some a bit higher. The rest of the boys are telling you what you need to do right now...take all of them out..inspect what you have to ensure there is not mold on them and even if there is some slight mold you can wipe it off with a moist paper towel and if there is mold at the foot...start cutting back on it til you don't see anymore. Get a tupperware to store what you have and put some cedar on the bottom or just start putting cigars in old cigar boxes and put it inside the tupperador and then fill the rest of the tupperware with your cigars. You mentioned switching to KL...I applaud you for that because I have 30 humidors of all types and use KL in every single one with great success. I figure you already know how to set KL up and once you've converted and have your RH where you like it then you can sit back and relax.
I used to use the Gel and hated it for the exact reason you gave...there was mold growing on the beads and I've used the other brand as well...they got all slimy and then started giving off a stench...I threw those out and went to KL and never looked back and it's been almost 3 years now.
Thanks for all the help. Cigars are in zip locks with boveda and water pillows for now. What type of kitty litter do I use?
IMO I would ditch the Water Pillows if youre are storing for more then a week or two...... Ive seen those mold up pretty well. Boveda and RH Beads (Heartfelt type) are two way... Kitty Litter, Gels, Water Pillows are not. I do use KL..... 3 LBs in the Winador.... but I still have 10 Boveda in there.... Rock Solid at 67 top and 69 Bottom. I am switching to Heartfelt because of space issues.
Do it! I used the gel for close to 2 years. Thought all the continuous tweaking to either bring humidity down or up was normal, which it is with gel. Since I've gone to litter all I do is add a little water when it gets down below 65. Butforthe most part it stays pegged right at my preferred RH of 68. In my 300 count I just had to give up space for 3 cigars for the extra litter so it would last longer.
Converted everything over the long weekend and here it is wednesday and looking at my hydrometer i have a steady RH of 62 in my close to full 150 ct. humi. Not too bad Thanks for all of your help guys .
I have a question for your expert kitty litter users. I live in WI and the humidity has been pretty high. I have a digital hygrometer that was salt tested and it reads around 72 in my humidor. I got some silica kitty litter and put about a 1/2 pound in a container and left it for 24 hours (I have a 100 count humidor with about 85 cigars in there). When i checked it next it was at 73%.... do I have to bake or put the litter in the microwave to get all the moisture out before i put it in there??? I am new to cigars and dont want to ruin the sticks I have.
Thanks for the help
I am NOT kl's biggest fan. I think it makes sense if you need a ton, otherwise I like beads. With that said, my humi has been shut for two months since I'm in training....RH has been 62 the ENTIRE time with me doing nothing to it.
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