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Prepping a Coolidor - Rehashed

Hylan85

Hylan85

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2009
Messages
399
It's been a long time since the Coolidor guide has been updated, so out of curiosity for myself and everyone else, has anyone developed any new methods not posted in the stickied thread?

Are we still using Bleach to clean the plastic smell?

Any tips not brought up?

Whatever is not in that post, throw it up here, or lets just get the topic rolling a bit, it's nearly 2010, someone must've thought up something new!
 
I still use the cooler full of bleach/water, place in direct sunlight for 10-12 hours, empty, rinse, and air dry for 24. Maybe you should bump the cooler sticky. :whistling:
 
SD and I disagree on this one - Chlorene is one of the most toxic substances known to man and I would NEVER use it in a confined space where food or smokes would be stored.

I've had great luck with using a very hot water rinse, leave the lid open in the sun for a couple of days.....good to go. Throw in a sock of beads, a hygro, and the smokes....you're cookin'.

Before the cabinet, I had five coolers up and running and they all got the same treatment. No plastic stink, at all.

One man's opinion - B.B.S.
 
Does the sun actually have anything to do with this? Or is it just a matter of being outside, or is it the heat normally attributed to sun in the summer?

Currently at 40 degrees in NY, putting it outside depending on the sun for HEAT (if that's the case) would not be helpful.
 
AFIK, It's more an issue of allowing the cooler to get really warm, throuought, so it gets a chance to outgas the bad stuff for a couple of days. I'll bet a sunlamp / spotlight would do the same thing......
 
DGuterman said:
Does the sun actually have anything to do with this? Or is it just a matter of being outside, or is it the heat normally attributed to sun in the summer?

Currently at 40 degrees in NY, putting it outside depending on the sun for HEAT (if that's the case) would not be helpful.
Click to expand...

I think placing it in the sun helps the evaporation of the plasticizers in the plastic, which also cause a lot of the "plastic" smell.(Didn't see BBS's post up there..... basically what he said.) It also helps speed up the evaporation of any residual chlorine that may be present after rinsing. It's really not necessary though. Just letting it air dry should be sufficient.

As far as the use of chlorine.... polyethylene, the plastic most coolers are made of, is for all intents and purposes a non-porous material, at least when it comes to liquids like water. Any chlorine that's used in cleaning would be rinsed right away without being absorbed into the plastic. Chlorine is also pretty volatile, so any residual that may be left over after rinsing out the cooler would quickly evaporate when left to air dry.
 
DGuterman said:
Does the sun actually have anything to do with this? Or is it just a matter of being outside, or is it the heat normally attributed to sun in the summer?

Currently at 40 degrees in NY, putting it outside depending on the sun for HEAT (if that's the case) would not be helpful.
Click to expand...

I set my cooler up around this time last year and I live in PA, so I can understand the lack of sun issue. I just washed the cooler out a few times with non-scented bleach and some mild non-scented soap. Each time I would let it soak for a day or two, dry it out and then close the lid with 2 boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in the cooler.

I would let that work for a day and then open it up to see if there was still a "plasticy" smell. I had to do it maybe 2-3 times and then it was gone.

I hope that helps as an idea in lieu of the sun option.
 
With my last coolidor -

1. Bought it from Walmart.

2. Took it home.

3. Filled it up with cigars.

4. Added humidity containers.

5. Placed temp / humidity gauge inside.

6. Closed the lid for a week.

7. Perfect...

Sometimes you just do it and don't mess with it!!! ;)
 
KiltLad said:
With my last coolidor -

1. Bought it from Walmart.

2. Took it home.

3. Filled it up with cigars.

4. Added humidity containers.

5. Placed temp / humidity gauge inside.

6. Closed the lid for a week.

7. Perfect...

Sometimes you just do it and don't mess with it!!! ;)
Click to expand...


Now you tell me!!! Try lugging around a 100qt full of water!! Damn it.
 
I did the old baking soda paste. Hot water and baking soda. Rub/scrub in. Let sit 10 minutes. Wipe out. Film/haze will form. Wipe with a damp rag. Use cooler.

Works for me, but YMMV.
 
KiltLad said:
With my last coolidor -

1. Bought it from Walmart.

2. Took it home.

3. Filled it up with cigars.

4. Added humidity containers.

5. Placed temp / humidity gauge inside.

6. Closed the lid for a week.

7. Perfect...

Sometimes you just do it and don't mess with it!!! ;)
Click to expand...


This. Works great for me. Keep it simple!
 
I wiped me down for with a very light dish soap and let it air dry for a couple days. Basically smell it. If it doesn't smell like plastic too bad, don't worry about it. If you're keeping the cigars in their boxes the smell shouldn't permiate them anyway.

<edit for grammar>
 
One thing that I found very helpful was to stock up on a few empty spanish cedar cigar boxes from my local cigar shop. In my opinion, this works better than using tupperware to take up space while searching for smokes to fill the cooler. This has an added benefit as most people aren't going to be buying boxes when starting out and I'm sure they'd rather store their samplers of 'gars in real cedar than plastic tupperware tubs. Most decent cigar shops give away the boxes, so it should be cheaper than tupperware as well.
 
DirtyDave said:
I wiped me down for with a very light dish soap and let it air dry for a couple days. Basically smell it. If it doesn't smell like plastic too bad, don't worry about it. If you're keeping the cigars in their boxes the smell shouldn't permiate them anyway.

<edit for grammar>
Click to expand...
Wiping yourself down with dish soap? I think he's asking for advice on coolers, not fetishes. :laugh:

Also, cigar boxes aren't air tight. If there's a smell in the container holding them, the cigars can absorb that scent.
 
tomthirtysix said:
DirtyDave said:
I wiped me down for with a very light dish soap and let it air dry for a couple days. Basically smell it. If it doesn't smell like plastic too bad, don't worry about it. If you're keeping the cigars in their boxes the smell shouldn't permiate them anyway.

<edit for grammar>
Click to expand...
Wiping yourself down with dish soap? I think he's asking for advice on coolers, not fetishes. :laugh:

Also, cigar boxes aren't air tight. If there's a smell in the container holding them, the cigars can absorb that scent.
Click to expand...

If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it! No water though, just the soap. :sign:

Ah crap, and I even edited it for the other typo I found... Guess that will teach me to re-re-read before posting. Looking back, that sentence was horrific. :( With regard to the smell, my statement was in the context of a very mild smell. I had a little plastic odor when I put in my boxes and that was very quickly replaced with the scent of tobacco and cedar. Of course, YMMV.
 
Another good way to try to get around the "plastic odor" issue is to look at used coolers. Typically, these have little to no smell if they were used for the typical beach or lake trip. I wouldn't recommend one from a fishing boat howevever.... unless you like fish cigars. :p
 
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