As the chill sets in for most of America, it’s time to give a public service announcement about checking your humidors more often. Wintertime is the perfect environment to drain our humidifiers and it’s important to keep them full to protect our cigars.

Why Do Humidors Need More Water in the Winter?

We call it relative humidity because it’s relative to temperature. As the temperature gets warmer, more water molecules can be suspended in the air so the RH goes down. As the temperature gets colder, less water can be suspended in the air and so relative humidity goes up.

If that boggles the mind, I can assure you that you’re not alone! Even though relative humidity goes up in colder temperatures if all things were constant, more water is needed in our humidifiers because lower temperatures can suspend less moisture – and we’re heating cold air to be comfortable.

When you add indoor heating and insulation issues, the humidity problem gets even more confusing, but the bottom line is that our homes and offices will require more water to keep your humidors stable in colder months. If you know more about the exact science, please don’t hesitate to drop us a comment below!

How Often Should I Check My Humidors in the Winter?

Personally, I go from checking my humidifier every month in the summer to every week or so in the colder months. Exactly how often will depend on your setup, but I think it’s better to err on the side of caution.

Wooden humidors and cabinets are more prone to needing attention than airtight solutions like plastic or acrylic.