Expert: James Yee - 8/2/2011

Question
After I received a new humidor as a present, I have followed the instructions from the producer regarding humidor preparation (standard procedure). Then I have putted two cigars in the humidor (capacity of the humidor is 30 cigars) and left it closed for two weeks because I went on a trip. Before I left, I have checked the humidity level and it was 72 percent. After two weeks I have opened my humidor and I found out that the humidity level is 85 percent. One cigar had a very small mold spot.

I removed the cigar with the mold and checked the humidor interior and the humidifier - no mold found :) I would like to know if a high level of humidity in the humidor (e.g. 85 percent) can damage wood in the humidor?

Thank you in advance for your answer!

Kind regards!

Answer
Hi Vatroslav,

Extremely high humidity (80% or higher) in your humidor for a long period of time can cause mold to form in the interior.  The good news is that if your humidor interior is covered with mold, it can be cleaned and sterilized.  (If you need instructions on how to remove mold from your humidor, please let me know and I will post step-by-step instructions for you.)

If you do not see mold in your humidor, it should be fine but you will still need to watch your humidor closely for the next 2-3 weeks for signs of mold.  Examine the humidor closely everyday and if you see mold appearing, remove your cigars immediately and let me know and I will post instructions on how to clean the humidor.  You should also remove the humidifier from your humidor now and let the humidor naturally lose the high humidity.  To prevent high humidity from returning to your humidor, use a 50/50 Propylene Glycol humidor mixture in your humidifier or upgrade to an electronic humidifier that allows you to control the humidity level.  If you use Propylene Glycol (PG), you only need to use it once.  PG lasts a long time inside a humidor (on average, 2 years) so just add it once and then add distilled water to the humidifier when needed.  A 50/50 mixture of distilled water and Propylene Glycol should create exactly 70% humidity.

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

Regards,
James