Humidor mold removal

[DennisP]

I have a small humidor that I do not currently use and had some distilled water in a small bowl to keep it seasoned and forgot about it. I just looked inside and I see some mold starting to grow on the cedar. Now, I do not need a quick process because I currently have no need for the humidor (may turn it in to a dry box or long term aging humidor in the future) so I would like to know the best way to get rid of this mold.

Thanks.

 

[smokinpoke]

Step:1 Take a fine grade sand paper and sand down the area a bit.
Step:2 Take some Everclear or Vodka and wipe down the infected area.
Step:3 Use a heat lamp if you got one if not go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a cheapie probably $10 and dry the area out.
Step:4 Repeat 1, 2 & 3 a couple of times
Step:5 Re-Season the humidor.

Good as almost new. It will stain but it works.

 

[wharfrathoss]

i used isoproply (rubbing) alcohol 91% on a qtip to wipe off the mold spots-when mine happened in summer i set it out in the sun, being winter the heat lamp sounds like a good idea, then reseason-mine never came back

 

[tfar]

Don't bother with the q-tip. Use a paper towel. Some people say not to use too much alcohol. In my eyes, you do want to get a good amount on there (same as when seasoning the wood). You have to get a sufficient amount on there for it to penetrate the wood. Also, don't bother with Everclear or vodka which is cheap alcohol but still comparatively expensive to isopropyl alcohol. Take care to find some isopropyl that does not include any denatured alc.

I did mine very liberally with isopropyl and it left no stains and no odors. Make sure you do a thorough job. Wipe the whole thing down not only where you have mold. Take care of nooks and crannies, too.

If you do have an ozone lamp/ionizer put it in the humidor for a week while you aerate it. The heat lamp might be a good idea but I fear the wood might change it's shape and the lid might not close well anymore if you overdo it.

Open the humi for at least ten minutes at a time every week to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

Till