Expert: James Yee - 1/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: I recently purchased a Humidor on Ebay.  I thought I was getting a great deal.  It is a 120 ct Humidor that has a window on the top & 2 on the front.  The windows are not tight sealed.  They are only held in place by a few small screws and they still leave a decent size gap for air to pass through.  I only paid $44 for this humidor.  My question is if there is an easy way to seal the humidor or should I just ask for a refund?  There is also a bit of a gap between the humidor & the lid when its closed.  I tried seasoning the humidor for 2 days and it hasn't budged past 40.  Please let me know what I should do. I have about 12 nice cigars sitting in a large ziplock with a moist paper towel. (distilled water of course) But a few have already started to explode.  I really need to act fast.

thank,
Mike

ANSWER: Hi Mike,

With your cigars starting to "explode", it's best to quickly move them to a proper storage container.  What I recommend you do is purchase a humi-pouch to temporarily store your cigars until your humidor is repaired.  A humi-pouch is basically a ziploc-style bag with a humidified lining built into the plastic membrane.  These bags are designed for short-term cigar storage and travel and will automatically keep your cigars properly maintained for 3 months (90 days) with minimal maintenance and supervision.  (After 3 months, you will have to replace the bag.)  A humi-pouch is much more effective than a regular ziploc bag with a moist paper towel.  They're available in a variety of sizes and you can buy them at any cigar store.  Depending on the size of the bag, they can cost anywhere between $4-$15 per bag.

For your humidor, what you can try is to add a rubber (or foam) gasket or "O-ring" between the frame of the humidor and the glass panels.  Based on what you described, a rubber gasket or large o-ring should fit between the glass and humidor and the pressure from the screws should be able to hold the gasket/o-ring in place with the glass panels.  For the gap in the closed lid, thin foam or rubber moulding strips can seal the gap and help it retain humidity.  (Thin foam/rubber moulding can also be used around the glass panels.)  

Hardware stores sell these types of items for home construction/weatherproofing doors and windows so they should be extremely effective at holding humidity inside your humidor.

If the gap between the glass and humidor is too small for a gasket or o-ring, you can try applying glue or epoxy to both the glass panel edges and the frame of the opening and then seal the edges around the glass with a low-fume, wood-friendly, silicon caulk.  Of course, fixing the humidor yourself will void the warranty/return policy and there's no guarantee how well these repairs will work on this particular humidor so if you feel uncomfortable modifying your humidor, you may want to just ask the retailer for a refund.

Hopes this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: James,
 Thanks for your help with that! I decided to ask the seller for a refund cause I later noticed that the humidor was made with a very thin layer of cedar wood (paper thin) and underneath was a partical board/cardboard material.  I think this was a scam.  I noticed last night that 5 of my cigars I just brought back from southern carribbean now have some spots of mold.  It looks like a little bit of white & a little bit of green mold?  I immediatly placed them in my small fridge in my office in the sealed ziplock.  How can I get these cigars back to normal?  I really dont want to throw these away. Those were the best 5 I had.  Thanks James!

Answer
Hi Mike,

OK, it's definitely better to return the humidor for a refund then repair it yourself and void the warranty.

To remove mold from your cigars, take a damp paper towel (moistened with distilled water) and delicately wipe the mold off your cigars.  Don't rub too hard as you might damage the cigar.  Just wipe hard enough to remove most of the mold.  Next, take another paper towel and moisten it with a bit of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).  Gently rub the alcohol over the moldy areas on your cigars.  This will kill any mold particles that remain on your cigar and prevent it from coming back.  After this, gently wipe the cigars down with another clean paper towel dampened with distilled water and put your cigars in a Ziploc bag (or tupperware container) and let them sit in your refrigerator for at least a week.  Monitor your cigars daily during this week.  If any mold re-appears, repeat the cleaning process.  Refrigerating your cigars will slow down the mold growth but still give it a chance to appear so if any mold does reappear, you can catch it early and eliminate it.

If after a week, mold does not re-appear on your cigars, they are safe to be returned to a humidor or humi-pouch.

Hopes this answers your question.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James