How to Use Boveda

Boveda is easy to use. Just tear open the plastic wrapper on the outside of your pack, then remove the Boveda. Place the pack in your dedicated Boveda Fabric Holders and position it in your case in a zone where there will be no pressure when you close the case. Take care not to cut or tear the Boveda pack. Close the lid and keep it closed even when your instrument is in use. This will keep your case humidified longer and help you maximize the use of Boveda.

How To Place Boveda By Instrument

Solid Body Electric Guitars and Semi-Hollow Body / Archtop Guitars

inserting boveda into fabric holder

Using two Boveda 2-way humidity control packs, place them in the two fabric holders.

Place the first Boveda 2-way humidity control inside your Fabric Holder and drape it over your strings.

Nestle the second fabric holder under or over the neck to maintain moisture balance near the headstock and fretboard. Avoid placing Boveda where it might be punctured and where there is the greatest opportunity for airflow. Shut the lid and keep the case closed whether your guitar is in there or not.

Acoustic Steel & Nylon String Guitars

inserting boveda into fabric holder

Using two Boveda 2-way humidity control packs, place them in the two fabric holders.

Boveda on acoustic guitar

Wrap the first fabric holder around the strings or…

Drape the fabric holder over your strings.

Nestle the second fabric holder under or over the neck to maintain moisture balance near the headstock and fretboard. Avoid placing Boveda where it might be punctured and where there is the greatest opportunity for airflow. Shut the lid and keep the case closed whether your guitar is in there or not.

VIOLIN / VIOLA MANDOLIN & UKULELES

inserting boveda into fabric holder

Place a Boveda 2-way humidity control pack inside a fabric holders.

boveda placement violin

Nestle it under the neck to maintain moisture balance near the headstock and fretboard. Avoid placing Boveda where it might be punctured and where there is the greatest opportunity for airflow. Shut the lid and keep the case closed whether your guitar is inside or not.

Cello & Basses

Using a Boveda and Fabric Holder, place the Boveda 2-way Humidity Control inside your Fabric Holder and nestle it under the fine tuners and tailpiece to maintain moisture balance.

Avoid placing Boveda where it might be punctured and where there is the greatest opportunity for airflow.

Shut the lid and keep the case closed whether your guitar is inside or not.

Clarinets

small instrument starter kit with woodwind instrument

Using a Boveda and Fabric Holder, place the Boveda 2-way Humidity Control inside your Fabric Holder and nestle it inside your case to maintain moisture balance.

Avoid placing Boveda where it might be punctured and where there is the greatest opportunity for airflow.

Shut the lid and keep the case closed whether your guitar is inside or not.

How much Boveda do I use for my case?

The amount of Boveda packs required will vary depending on where you live (your environment), the size of your instrument(s) and the type of case you’re using for each instrument.  Hard cases made of synthetic or man-made materials generally hold an internal environment better than a wooden case or a gig-bag.  A basic rule is 1 to 2 Boveda for smaller wooden instruments or electric wooden instruments with a solid or semi-hollow body and 4 Boveda for larger wooden instruments.

3 Things You Should Know About Using Boveda

When it’s dry & crispy, it’s time to replace.

When Boveda is completely dry, it will turn hard and solid. You’ll want to replace them right before the point when there are only a few spots left. See video.

The more you use, the longer they’ll last.

Adding more than the minimum amount of humidity control packs as recommended by Boveda is perfectly ok, and in some cases, even required when factoring dry climates, seasonality, or very leaky storage containers. See video.

The more you expose it to air, the harder it has to work.

If your Boveda is being depleted quickly (less than 2 months) then you know that Boveda is working extra hard to keep that environment stable. The solution is to verify that your storage case doesn’t need to be re-seasoned, or to add more Boveda packs. See video.

Boveda makes it effortless.

Boveda’s patented 2-way humidity control continually responds to ambient conditions by adding or removing moisture to affect the enclosed environment and deliver the predetermined RH (relative humidity) level printed on the pack.

What is inside Boveda?

Each Boveda consists of a specially prepared saturated solution of pure water and natural salts. This saturated solution is contained within a patented water-vapor permeable “reverse osmosis” membrane.

Boveda humidity packs provide the cleanest and most purified humidity of all other products available on the market today

All Boveda products are maintenance-free and require no activation.

FAQs

Why use Boveda to protect your instrument?
But don’t take our word for it. Listen to music experts talk about how wood type and humidity can change how your instrument sounds.
Why does it seem like my 49% RH Boveda doesn’t work?
The Boveda 49% RH (relative humidity) are designed specifically for humidity control of wooden instruments and cases made from wood. This makes them a little different than our typical formulas which are accurate to +/- 2% RH (or lower). For wooden instruments, we recommend that you keep them between 40-60% RH to maximize the lifespan of the Boveda; the 49% packs start at the top of the range—high 50s—and once they release their moisture, they end at the bottom of the range—low 40s.
How do I season my guitar case?
Because most guitar cases are twice as much wood as the actual guitar itself, we recommend that you season your guitar case first for the best results. It’s rather simple, and it’ll go a long way toward protecting your instrument.
  1. First, place four Size 60 Boveda at 72% RH in Boveda pouch holders.
  2. Drape one pouch holder over your strings and into your sound hole.
  3. Gently place the other pouch holder near the headstock and fretboard.
  4. Shut the case closed and keep it closed for about two weeks with your guitar inside.
  5. Two weeks later, remove the Boveda 72% RH and throw it away, but keep the pouches.
  6. Still with us? Now, insert standard size Boveda 49% RH in the pouch holders.
  7. Position it in the guitar case, shut the case and keep it closed whether your guitar is in it or not.
Or watch the video below for step-by-step instructions for how to protect your instrument so you get years and years of sweet melodies out of it.
How many packs do I need for my instrument?
It really all depends. Just as every instrument sounds different, every instrument also requires the right amount of Boveda. Watch our recommendation video below for your ideal instrument humidity control.