Your humidor is one of the most important cigar accessories you have. To make sure that it's ready to go, you have to season it. If you don't, you'll find that it actually removes moisture from your cigars. The wood has to be brought up to an acceptable level of humidity so that it's not adding or subtracting too much to or from the cigars, and this takes a couple of days to set up.
The first step in seasoning these storage devices is to get the wood humidified. This means actually wiping it down with a sponge. Make sure you're not slopping water into the container. You should be using a damp sponge and only enough water to lightly wet the surface; there should be no standing water in the box at any time. If there is, wipe it up quickly or work it into the wood. Only used distilled water for this.
Wipe down the wood with the sponge until it gets moist. You don't want any standing water or condensation on the wood, however. When you're done with this step, place the sponge on a piece of cellophane or tinfoil in the bottom of the humidor and close the lid. You're going to leave the humidor to sit like this for 24 hours, so be sure it's somewhere out of the way. Make sure the lid stays closed for the entire time.
After 24 hours have passed, you'll need to repeat the process. Refill your hydrating device, if needed and rewet the wood with the sponge, again leaving the sponge in the humidor overnight. Make sure there is no standing water anywhere in the box before you close it. Once this step is done, you should only have to wait one more day before the humidor is ready to use.
After the second 24 hours has passed, check the box again. The hygrometer may be reading high levels, but this is normal and doesn't mean that the box needs to be dried out. If the wood is moisturized, your hydrating device has water in it and the levels are acceptable, go ahead and add your cigars! There are some boxes that might need a third night, but this is very rare. Most of the time, 48 hours should be plenty of time to get a humidor ready to go and to get the wood seasoned to the point where it will hold moisture.
The first step in seasoning these storage devices is to get the wood humidified. This means actually wiping it down with a sponge. Make sure you're not slopping water into the container. You should be using a damp sponge and only enough water to lightly wet the surface; there should be no standing water in the box at any time. If there is, wipe it up quickly or work it into the wood. Only used distilled water for this.
Wipe down the wood with the sponge until it gets moist. You don't want any standing water or condensation on the wood, however. When you're done with this step, place the sponge on a piece of cellophane or tinfoil in the bottom of the humidor and close the lid. You're going to leave the humidor to sit like this for 24 hours, so be sure it's somewhere out of the way. Make sure the lid stays closed for the entire time.
After 24 hours have passed, you'll need to repeat the process. Refill your hydrating device, if needed and rewet the wood with the sponge, again leaving the sponge in the humidor overnight. Make sure there is no standing water anywhere in the box before you close it. Once this step is done, you should only have to wait one more day before the humidor is ready to use.
After the second 24 hours has passed, check the box again. The hygrometer may be reading high levels, but this is normal and doesn't mean that the box needs to be dried out. If the wood is moisturized, your hydrating device has water in it and the levels are acceptable, go ahead and add your cigars! There are some boxes that might need a third night, but this is very rare. Most of the time, 48 hours should be plenty of time to get a humidor ready to go and to get the wood seasoned to the point where it will hold moisture.
About the Author:
Wendy is an online authority on cigar accessories and has expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including how to purchase the best cigar humidor.
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