March 5, 2009
My humidor says to charge it w/a distilled H20/propylene glycol mixture. Where do I get these ingredients?
Can you answer scott o's question about humidors?:
I have never owned a humidor and want to maintain it properly – I'm willing to do whatever the instructions say but "distilled water/propylene glycol?" I never heard of either ingredient and just wanted to get an idea as to what kind of store would sell these ingredients? I figure the place where my humidor was purchase would be a good start but its 45 minutes away (this was a gift). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Comments on My humidor says to charge it w/a distilled H20/propylene glycol mixture. Where do I get these ingredients? »
A distilled water/propylene glycol mixture can be purchased at an auto parts store. Propylene glycol is otherwise known as antifreeze. If, by chance, the auto parts store does not carry the mixture (which is 50/50), then you can also purchase distilled water at most supermarkets.
Hope this helps.
You can buy distilled water at your grocery store. It's commonly sold for use in irons. It's created by boiling water and collecting the condensation, so it's ultra pure. That keeps your humidity element from getting clogged with minerals after a while. You can get a PG solution online at JR cigars, Thompson, or many other local cigar shops. In the meantime, you can create your own humidity element as follows:
Get a small glass dish and fill it with 4-5 tablespoons of salt. Add some water to this (distilled is best) until the salt is wet. Don't dissolve the salt, just make it look like wet sand. Put this dish inside your humidor, and it will keep your smokes fresh. The vapor pressure of the NaCl solution keeps the air in your humidor at 75% RH, which is perfect for cigars. Now keep the box out of direct sunlight in a place that is 65-70 degrees, and you'll be in good shape.
If your cigars ever get too dry or too cold, you can slowly bring them back to humidity or temperature (over several days) without much damage. Don't EVER let them get above 80% RH, or they will begin to mold. White dust isn't mold, it's bloom – a natural deposit of oils. Mold is either green or blue.
Also, keep them below 80 degrees F, or any beetle eggs could hatch. The eggs are so small, you can't really see them. As long as they don't hatch, you'll never know they're there – you've probably smoked a few already
But if they hatch, the beetles will tunnel through the cigars, and start munching on others in your box. If that happens, freeze the cigars for 3 days, put them in the fridge for a week, and then return to your humidor.