Need help lowering RH

[Patrick B]

My huge cabinet (48 sq. ft.) needs some help. It's in the basement which sees about 70-75%rh during the summer. I took the moistenaire out completely weeks ago, and of course my cab is creeping higher and higher. Looking to go as cheap as possible here. Room dehumidifiers are $200 or so, and I'd need hundreds of bucks worth of beads as well. Ideas? I'd have no problem throwing kitty litter in if I knew which would pull some moisture out.

Hey Patrick, If you have a pet smart near by pick up some Exquisicat KL crystals. Make sure it is odor free or fragrance free. Throw some of that in there dry and that should help. You should be able to pick up an 8pd jug or bag for $15 or less. I use this stuff in my coolidor and now in my wine fridge and it keeps perfect Rh, if it gets too humid I just throw some dry in there and it levels it out.

[Patrick B]

Thanks Matthew. Are they 65%?

[GreekGodX]

Kitty litter may work for some but I wouldn't go near it. Keep kitty litter for it's intended use, not for keeping or lowering rH.

From what it sounds like you need to seal up that humidor better. You're going to need to get some beads in there to help regulate. Do you have any fans in there? Right now you have no humidification in there at all? Until you can get that rH down and stabilized, I would store the cigars somewhere else for the time being.

[Patrick B]

Christos, the humidor seals pretty damn well. It holds humidity very well with the Moistenaire when the room is lower rh. The issue is, opposite of most situations, in the few months the AC is on the room is more humid than I want my cigars. I need to take moisture out of the cabinet. Not gonna drop the dough for 12 pounds of beads, that's ridiculous. It's not like I'm putting cat pee in there.

Truth be told, the cigars are still smoking just fine. I just don't want >70% cigars in the next month or so, they taste and burn awful when they creep up that high.

[GreekGodX]

The only other solution I can think of would be to raise the temperature in your home. That would lower the rH or keep your thermostat the same but keep the blinds open so sun comes in to heat up the room. That would give the water in the air more time to condense, the more time the water has to condense the less of an affect it will have on the rH in the room.

Or just buy a dehumidifier and that would for sure solve your problem.

[big a]

Originally Posted by GreekGodX

Kitty litter may work for some but I wouldn't go near it. Keep kitty litter for it's intended use, not for keeping or lowering rH.

From what it sounds like you need to seal up that humidor better. You're going to need to get some beads in there to help regulate. Do you have any fans in there? Right now you have no humidification in there at all? Until you can get that rH down and stabilized, I would store the cigars somewhere else for the time being.

+1 some people seem to like the Kitty litter but I wouldn't try it. There is a reason most people buy beads still.

My vino was starting to rise also with this heat and humidity. I got a dehumidifier and and set that at 45-50%. I threw my beads in the frig for an hour and its back down to 64-65% now.

I know new dehumidifiers can be expensive so look around for a used one. Or just get a small one and put it in the room with the humidor.

[newcigarz]

Bob from Aristocrat recommends Damp Rid for lowering RH in his humidors. I have used this method here in S Florida where humidity can become a problem. It works well, Just make sure you get the fragrance free version.

Originally Posted by Patrick B

Thanks Matthew. Are they 65%?

Hey Patrick I believe they are 65%. I know some people are against kittylitter but when you do not have the cash to drop on proper humidity control KL is a cheap alternative. The KL is designed to absorb moisture, which is why it works so well for rh.

[BlindedByScience]

If your cabinet does seal well, and if the ambient RH is too high, I've heard that these guys can work very well. Never used one personally, only 2nd hand reports. Price seems reasonable....

Also, these have been used by buddies for storing their classic cars. Can't imagine why it wouldn't work in a humidor....

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot; they all carry sacs of dessicant designed to lower humidity. I've used it a couple times in my firdges and it's GREAT>

As for KL- it works. I use it to keep all my babies safe, and trust it implicitly. I do use the round pearls with no colored ones though.

[Patrick B]

Thanks everyone for the assistance!

[Bill86]

My cats don't like the exquisicat they said it's uncomfortable to pee on. They said it feels like jumping into a chuck-e-cheese ball play pen that kids pissed in. I also heard the colored ones taste funny, not like blueberries either.