Jnaube Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 So I've been a seasonned CC smoker for a couple of years but living in Montreal, Québec, I've always had a hard time keeping my 5 humidors above 65 degrees humidity. Not because I don't water them often enough, just because of the season changes and the heaters in the house. BUT, since last week, this is all old history. More than two months after sitting on the Stogies terrasse with Strada, the man who recommended me cat litter in my humidor, I finally decided to make the switch. And to my great surprise, it works, REALLY well. Basically, I was wondering , like many of you probably are,for a while if I should spend a fortune on humi beads. Instead, I went to my grocery store and bought Silica cat litter, yes the one with the blue crystals, and use that in my humidors. I started the test in my non CC humidor. I replaced the sponge by silica crystals and sprayed them with a good quantity of distilled water. Waited 'til next morning and my humi was near 70 degrees. I added just a couple of sprays of water and waited another day and VOILA, humidor humidity level is at a perfect 72 degrees. I then started a cuban humidor that contains about 125 Partagas and Hoyos. Did the same process, replaced the sponge and added a little container filled with crystals. I sparyed them both with distilled water. 24 hours later, humidity is perfect. I have only one humidor left, the one that contains all my Cohibas to switch to cat litter. To all of you smokers out there, if you have your precious CC humidity level at heart and you don't want to spend a fortune, make the switch. You really won't regret it. Thanks Strada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Cool! How do you keep your cat away from your humidors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortigan Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Cool! How do you keep your cat away from your humidors? RH beads in the litter tray! Cats love 'em!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallclub Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I've heard (many times) that you have to remove the blues crystals for some reason I forgot… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I've heard (many times) that you have to remove the blues crystals for some reason I forgot… I seem to recall that it had to do with the presence of a chemical that provides the color changing wetness indication. Some sort of cobalt compound is what comes up in cursory searches and that's not out of the realm of possibility. However, unless you're getting this on your skin and wetting it or ingesting it, it's likely to be of no harm whatsoever. What you want to avoid for sure is any kind of scented silica litter. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGC Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It looks like you might have a little bit of mold growing on some of the cigars in your pic. You might want to give them a quick wipe down if you see any fuzzy, white patches growing. I've used beads, and seasoned kitty litter, for many years in my humidors. There's no need to for anything else if you have small humi's or tight sealing coolers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It looks like you might have a little bit of mold growing on some of the cigars in your pic. You might want to give them a quick wipe down if you see any fuzzy, white patches growing. I think that might be the light reflecting off the water droplets on the side of the plastic container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jnaube Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 It looks like you might have a little bit of mold growing on some of the cigars in your pic. You might want to give them a quick wipe down if you see any fuzzy, white patches growing. I've used beads, and seasoned kitty litter, for many years in my humidors. There's no need to for anything else if you have small humi's or tight sealing coolers. No mold, just old cigars... Don't worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZCUBAN Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 And don't put used litter in there or your Cigars will have a distinct Ammonia taste,and a aroma that lets us say is not Barnyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk05 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Yep, what Wilkey said, but I think that chemical only reacts to the presence of ammonia (the blueness in my beads didn't go away when I submerged them in water), so I believe you are fine! All my boxes are in vacuum anyway. Nope, that's mold. Plume looks like sand. 72 is high for me, but everyone has their preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jnaube Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 1350272039[/url]' post='341850']Yep, what Wilkey said, but that chemical only reacts to the presence of ammonia, so I believe you are fine! Nope, that's mold. Plume looks like sand. 72 is high for me, but everyone has their preference. Seriously man, I'm watching them right now. No mold. It was just a reflection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5974 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I went withe kitty litter about a little more than a month ago.iI also have the beads with the blue crystals in them.I went to the Heartfelt website & bought 2 of the 1/2 pound mesh bags.I have a 300ct humi & a 500ct small cabinet for boxes.I put 1 bag in each & they are both staying at a rock solid 70%.Kitty litter,who would've thunk it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk05 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Seriously man, I'm watching them right now. No mold. It was just a reflection. So is it old cigars with plume or is it a reflection of water dots on the cigar? I'm just saying, if it's the former, you should send them to me. I'll smoke them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantim0 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I have used kitty litter for about 2 years now in my coolers. After spending over $100 on humidity beads that never kept a stable percentage, I tried it on a whim. If you don't wet the litter, it keeps the humidity right at 65% and you can lower the humidity by putting more or less litter in. My CC cooler had a lot more litter by volume and stays at 62%. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strada Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Glad to hear you like it I took the blue parts out of them before putting it in my cooler. See you soon Jean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chr0nic Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Thanks for this post, mate. Lately I've had issues where I can't raise my humidity... it's hovering around the 60 mark. Personally, I like 65. I know I need a bigger coolidor \ humidor with proper this, that and the other- but I don't have the funds at the moment... and with a baby on the way, I don't know when I *will* have the funds. 60 freaks me out- Trev's site mentions that less than this for too long could pose issues, so I'll most definitely give this a try. THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikesupremedunk Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 KL didnt' work out for me and I swear by HF beads. Glad you found something cheaper that works for you. And yea, 72% is even too high for NC's IMO. Keep them 10% lower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fokker4me Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I have been using kitty litter for a few years now with great results. I am consistent at 67 to 68 percent. Just keep in mind that when you add new boxes and the wood box is dry it may drink up some humidity but it should level out in a few weeks. I am using them in a 18 bottle wine fridge adding an entire box at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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