If you don't keep your humidor well maintained, you might as well store your cigars in a Ziploc. Either that or you'll open the lid one day, expecting the wonderful aroma of fine cigars to find nothing but dried out shells of tobacco torpedos. Or worse yet, the humidor will be filled with beetle laden stogies.
Taking care of your humidor is a simple task that you can avoid at your own peril. Not maintaining your cigar humidor is a good way to make sure that you ruin your entire stock of cigars.
But it doesn't need to be that way. Humidor maintenance is easy.
1) Follow the instructions in "Seasoning Your Humidor" to season it, following the 50% propylene glycol and 50% distilled water treatment mentioned in the above article. Some humidors do not require the 50/50 treatment, so check with the manufacturer.
Humidifier
2) The humidity in your humidor is between 65% and 75% of relative humidity, and the ideal temperature is 70 and the ideal humidity is 70%. The fewer cigars you have in the humidor, the faster the humidity will drop, so check it at least every couple of weeks to make sure the humidity isn't fluctuating.
When the humidity level drops down to 65% again, that's when you should repeat the seasoning process.
3) Store your humidor in a cool, dry place to help prevent mold. Never place it in direct sunlight. If the temp inside gets too high, like 80, your cigars could develop mold or the heat could hatch whatever eggs (which exist in larvae form inside of tobacco leaves) there might be and you'll have a beetle
infestation.
4) When stocking your humidor, make sure the cigars are not blocking the humidifying vents.
Hygrometer
5) Test your hygrometer. It's easy.
Place some salt in a small cup or bottle cap and dampen it with a few drops of water. Do NOT dissolve the salt, just moisten it a little. This is where you can use the Ziploc bag we told you not to use for storing your cigars. Place the salt container inside the bag and seal it shut. Leave some air in the bag when you zip it shut.
Let is sit for 6 hours then check the reading on the hygrometer WITH THE BAG STILL SEALED SHUT. It should read exactly 75%. If necessary, adjust the needle - usually with a screw on the back.