Beating a very dead horse (wiping down inside..)

[fl0at]

howD,

I'm putting my old desktop humidor into service once again and I came across a set of humidor care instructions that I remember not following. The first was wiping down the interior of my humidor with a damp cloth.

Now, I know the arguments on both sides. I know that both have been covered many a time here but here is my question.

I know wiping might raise the grain and warp the wood, which is why I've never done it.. but with regards to cleaning out a prior infestation of the crappy tobacco beetle, I've been advised to wipe. I've also been advised to put it in the freezer.

Which is best, wipe, don't wipe, freeze, don't freeze.. personal preference? Wipe for one, not the other? I went ahead and didn't wipe, but froze, and didn't wipe, but set a glass of distilled water in the bottom (as I had done before)..

Hope when it reseasons that no little bugs come back, because if they do.. I'm going to weep gently in a corner.

Also, any advise on not mounting the hygrometer on the lid? I used velcro, but cut around the holes and the screw, basically making a star. For some reason though, I'm getting lower humidity levels than I do when I just set it on the bottom.

I should probably get a digital.. but.. my dad once told me "If it ain't broke.."

Thanks in advance,

DK

[illuminatus]

Use a digitaly hygro, it's worth the $15 or so you'll pay for it... Analogs are wrong 110% of the time .. Also, instead of using a foam humidifier, check out Heartfelt and get yourself some beads. They'll hold your humi at an even 65% or 70%, with almost no maintenance. As for wipe/don't wipe, I've heard so many things that I just make up my own mind. It's my personal opinion that freezing will kill any larvae, and if the humi has been empty for months, any live bugs left would have died, with no food source. I'd say freeze, no wipe. Just my ..

[fl0at]

Thanks, illum. I've used bead's before, but that was 4 years ago. I thought, at the time, that it was the lazy man's way, and that a "true connoisseur" uses the tried and true methods of a foam humidifier.. but the more I read up in this forum the more and more I see people using beads and... loving them.

I've got to wipe clean the knowledge I have from stubborn old men at the old tobacco shop.

Methinks a 1 oz tube should work nicely.. and now to get a digital hygrometer.

Thanks much!

DK

[Hammerhead]

Fl0at, ditto beads. Don't even jerk around with PG and foam, it's just not worth the hassle.

Before you buy seperate digital hygrometers, you might consider one of these. Supports up to 3 remote wireless sensors, so you don't have to keep opening your humdior to check status. Sensors cost about the same as a digital hygro, and you can usually find the base unit with a single sensor on sale for about $25 or $30 to get you started.

http://www2.oregonscientific.com/sho...scid=5&pid=419

[illuminatus]

Well, not to throw a shameless plug out there or anything.. but the owner of www.cigarmony.com is a BOTL here on CS, and has great deals. He carries digital hygrometers, AND the new humidi-puck, which contains Viper's beads. That way you can get everything from one place, and pay shipping only once..

[fl0at]

Thank god FireFox invented Tabbed browsing.. I have so many pages up right now if they weren't all in one browser, I'd probably be lost.

Thanks both, I'm looking at Cigarmony.com and reading the Beads FAQ to get all the info I need before I make my purchase.

fl0at

[DonWeb]

Originally Posted by fl0at

Thanks, illum. I've used bead's before, but that was 4 years ago. I thought, at the time, that da klugs is a lazy man, a "true connoisseur" uses the tried and true methods of a foam humidifier..

ok, i'm lazy too...

[fl0at]

I went ahead and placed an order for the Humdi-Puck and a digital hygrometer..

Problems solved? I hope.