Frequently Asked Questions for Humidors

Q7: Help! I smoked half a cigar, then put the other half in my humidor. When I opened the humidor a few days later, everything smelled like the bottom of a dirty ashtray in a Las Vegas casino. Any suggestions?

A: Unfortunately, there really isn't much you can do to solve your problem.

Your humidor has absorbed the odor of a smoked cigar, and it's virtually impossible to get that out. If you have a humidor with an unvarnished interior, you can use fine sandpaper to sand down the interior after letting the humidor dry. (Take out the humidification device, wait several days with the lid open, then do the sanding.) The problem with this method is you won't be able to get every bit of the surface area on the inside of the humidor, and at least some of the odor will linger.

You should never put a partially smoked cigar into a humidor or a cigar case. Sorry we couldn't be of more assistance.  

This is a reprint of the article in the "Tip of the Week" section of the website
of Cigar Aficionado ( www.cigaraficionado.com ) in the week of October 19, 1998.