mcease022 Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Hi All, Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place. I got a great deal on a cabinet humidor today, but I noticed that there is a little bit of mould in one of the drawers and what seems to be water damage on some of the trays. How do I go about cleaning the mould? I can sand down some of the trays with finishing sand paper (I did that in a couple of spots to test) and it looks great. Should I clean it and then sand and then clean, or am I being too anal? Thanks for any advice.
NSXCIGAR Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 In my research on humidor cleaning I've found the standard recommendation is to thoroughly wipe down all the interior surfaces with a paper towel soaked with isopropyl alcohol and let it air dry for an hour. The alcohol should penetrate into the cedar far enough to kill the mold so no sanding should be needed. 1
mcease022 Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 In my research on humidor cleaning I've found the standard recommendation is to thoroughly wipe down all the interior surfaces with a paper towel soaked with isopropyl alcohol and let it air dry for an hour. The alcohol should penetrate into the cedar far enough to kill the mold so no sanding should be needed. Thanks. I would have to wipe down all of the interior surfaces? not just where the mould is? Its holds about 3000 sticks. Pretty big.
Guest scsi Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 being anal means chopping it up into firewood
mcease022 Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 being anal means chopping it up into firewood Ok Im not that anal...should I be? I've decided to wipe down the entire inside with distilled water (I did that already) now I will sand down every inch of it, and then wipe it down again with distilled water. There was a smell in the humidor at first (not sure it was mould but could have been) but after taking out the mouldy drawer and wiping it all down with distilled water the smell is gone. Do you think I am ok to use the humidor after I sand it down and re-wipe? Im hesitant to use isopropyl alcohol because I dont want to ruin it.
Guest scsi Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 I'm jaded...... A second hand humidor with smells and growth of mold? I'm not putting thousands in there
earthson Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Ok Im not that anal...should I be? I've decided to wipe down the entire inside with distilled water (I did that already) now I will sand down every inch of it, and then wipe it down again with distilled water. There was a smell in the humidor at first (not sure it was mould but could have been) but after taking out the mouldy drawer and wiping it all down with distilled water the smell is gone. Do you think I am ok to use the humidor after I sand it down and re-wipe? Im hesitant to use isopropyl alcohol because I dont want to ruin it. Wiping with distilled water and sanding are physical methods of knocking back the mold. Isopropyl alcohol is a chemical method. Physical methods often don't work against mold, because any portion you miss typically just grows back. If it were me, I would be doing some sort of chemical regimen on every surface. You may only see mold in isolated locations, but I assure you most of the surfaces are now covered in spores. After that, i'd let it stay dry for a long time, periodically checking for returned growth. You don't want this mold gaining a foothold and infecting your collection! Good luck!
TonyAccardo Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Mold spores are everywhere despite whether you see them visually or not. All it takes is the right, humid environment again and mold will grow whether you chemically treat it, sand it or not. The advice given by RoRo above is good and should work. Sanding the trays will not stop or prevent mold but it will release the scent stronger again, the scent of cedar that is and not the scent of the mold. Just keep your humidor between 60-67% RH after you wipe it down with alcohol and sand it and you should have no further problems with mold inside.
mcease022 Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 Mold spores are everywhere despite whether you see them visually or not. All it takes is the right, humid environment again and mold will grow whether you chemically treat it, sand it or not. The advice given by RoRo above is good and should work. Sanding the trays will not stop or prevent mold but it will release the scent stronger again. Just keep your humidor between 60-67% RH after you wipe it down with alcohol and sand it and you should have no further problems with mold inside. Thanks guys. It looks like it has been sitting dry for a while because I bought it from someone who owned a small store and now has stopped selling cigars. The mold (if it was mold - which I do think it was) very dry in one of the drawers - it was nowhere else in the humidor. I am not sure the smell was from mold, but after airing it out and sanding it the smell is gone. It now smells like nice spanish cedar wood. I will now try to wipe it with Isopropyl alcohol to treat it. Should I dilute the alcohol with distilled water, or use it straight? Also, do I then wipe again with distilled water to "rinse" it? Oh and I should mention that I think the mold was caused by a humidifying sponge because it looked darker and dirty - I obviously tossed it. I can also simply not put the drawer back in as well - that is where I saw the mould. It was not very much.
earthson Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks guys. It looks like it has been sitting dry for a while because I bought it from someone who owned a small store and now has stopped selling cigars. The mold (if it was mold - which I do think it was) very dry in one of the drawers - it was nowhere else in the humidor. I am not sure the smell was from mold, but after airing it out and sanding it the smell is gone. It now smells like nice spanish cedar wood. I will now try to wipe it with Isopropyl alcohol to treat it. Should I dilute the alcohol with distilled water, or use it straight? Also, do I then wipe again with distilled water to "rinse" it? Oh and I should mention that I think the mold was caused by a humidifying sponge because it looked darker and dirty - I obviously tossed it. I can also simply not put the drawer back in as well - that is where I saw the mould. It was not very much. No need to dilute the alcohol. It should evaporate off on its own. An alcohol smell may be left behind after the alcohol visibly evaporates, but just leave the doors open and it will dissipate. Don't rush this process. Slow and steady and you should have an excellent humidor environment after several weeks of TLC. P.S.: I had to battle mold in a desktop humi a year or 2 ago. I did the above and these days it's an excellent humi. 1
mcease022 Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 No need to dilute the alcohol. It should evaporate off on its own. An alcohol smell may be left behind after the alcohol visibly evaporates, but just leave the doors open and it will dissipate. Don't rush this process. Slow and steady and you should have an excellent humidor environment after several weeks of TLC. P.S.: I had to battle mold in a desktop humi a year or 2 ago. I did the above and these days it's an excellent humi. Awesome! Thank you! I wiped it down and I am allowing it to air out. Is there any harm in wiping it down more than once with the alcohol?
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