Expert: James Yee - 4/5/2007

Question
I recently discovered mold in my humidor. I use a Cigar Oasis electric humidifier that keeps it at 70%. I suspect the mold was caused because I keep the humidor on the bar where the morning sun comes in and may heats it for a few hours. Do I need to replace the humidor or can it be salvaged?  

Answer
Hi Ed,

Your humidor can definitely be saved.  To remove the mold from your humidor, what you need to do first is remove all the mold-infected cigars (check all your cigars in tubes and cellophane as well) and relocate your unharmed cigars to a temporary storage container such as another humidor, travel humidor, (clean) Tupperware container or humi-pouch.  Next, gently brush out and vacuum any mold particles inside your humidor.  If your humidor has compartments, trays or drawers, be sure to thoroughly vacuum every hidden crevice to remove any residual mold spores.  Once your humidor has been thoroughly vacuumed, take a brand new and clean sponge and gently wipe the entire humidor interior down with a tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol.  Don't use too much as alcohol can ruin your humidor.  (However, in a situation like this, you need to clean your humidor thoroughly and ensure that it's free of mold so you'll have to use alcohol.)  Replace or disinfect your humidifiers thoroughly (replacing them entirely is often the best option) and let your humidor sit on its own for a week with a fully charged humidifier.  After a week, check if any mold has come back.  If there's no mold, you can safely return all the uninfected cigars back to the humidor.

If think you can salvage your moldy cigars, wipe them down with a paper towel and some distilled water (Note: wipe them down LIGHTLY and don't use too much water.  Wipe gently enough to remove all the mold and not make your cigars soggy from the water)  Store the cigars in a clean (ie: brand new) plastic tupperware container in the fridge (not freezer) and let them sit several days.  The cold air will slow down any mold growth but still give it a chance to appear if any spores remain.)  If after a week you don't see any new mold, take the container out of the refrigerator and return the cigars to your humidor.  Allow the cigars to sit in your humidor for at least another week before you smoke them.

Hopes this answers your question. If you have any questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James