Deal with the fuel, deal with the battery, clean the deck. Everything else is optional and those three decide whether the machine works in March.
Petrol: the fuel is the whole problem
Modern petrol degrades over months and the residue it leaves is what blocks a small carburettor. Two accepted approaches, and either is better than doing nothing.
Run it dry. Turn the fuel off if there is a tap, run the engine until it stops, then crank it briefly to clear what is left.
Or fill and stabilise. A full tank with a stabiliser added leaves no air space for condensation and keeps the fuel usable.
What causes the spring service bill is the third option: half a tank of untreated petrol standing from October to April.
Also worth doing: change or check the oil while the engine is still warm from its last use, and clean or replace the air filter.
Battery: partial charge, indoors
Cold is hard on lithium packs and both extremes of charge are hard on them over months. Manufacturers generally recommend storing at a partial state of charge, in a dry place that does not freeze, and off the charger.
The machine can live in the shed; the pack should not.
Deck: clean it now, not in March
Grass left to dry on the underside of a deck sets into a hard mat, holds moisture against the metal, and is a great deal harder to remove months later. A steel deck put away dirty and damp rusts under the mat.
Scrape it, dry it, and on a steel deck a wipe of oil is cheap insurance.
The blade
The best time to sharpen is now rather than on the first warm Saturday, when every workshop has a queue.
Where a cover helps
Outdoors or under a lean-to, substantially — the machine is being rained on otherwise. In a dry shed, mainly against dust and roof condensation.
A cover on a wet machine is worse than no cover, because it holds the damp against it.
How this site handles it
The air filter, wheel, blade and cover shelves here are the winter shelves. Their pages name the machines the maker names and print what the listing states about material and fit, because on those shelves fit is the specification.
The questions that keep coming in
Should I leave a battery on the charger all winter?
Most makers say not to, and most recommend a partial charge rather than full or empty. Their own manual states what they want for their own pack, and it is the answer for your machine.
Is a cover worth it in a shed?
Less than outdoors, and still useful against dust and against condensation dripping from a shed roof. Outdoors a cover is the difference between a machine that starts in March and one that does not.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026