How to Put Your Lawn Mower Away for the Season

By: Scott Schilling, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Fuel stabilizer

2. SAE-30 oil

3. Pan
for emptying old fluids

4. Tarp
to ensure quick clean-up after emptying old fluids

5. Filter
new paper or sponge filter to replace the old one

6. Spark plug
to replace old one, and guarantee a smooth start come next spring

Close
Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Gloves
- Socket wrench
- Putty knife
- Wire brush
- Nut screwdriver
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Photo: Kenneth Chen

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8

1-2 hours
About $40

Difficulty: Easy to moderate Maintenance is easy and will prolong the life of your machine, but it can be a messy job

Gas-powered lawn mowers and trimmers take their share of abuse during the warm months, so some care at the end of the season—or at the start of spring—is vital to keeping their parts in good working condition. Replacing the oil, spark plugs, and air filters on mowers and applying a bit of elbow grease to grimy recesses, preferably before storing them for the winter, will ensure that they rev up with a pull of the cord next year.

Here, Audrey Meinking, owner of Mineola Bicycle, Fitness, and Mower in Mineola, New York, demonstrates the proper servicing on a push mower; the same process also works for other small gas-powered machines such as trimmers and snowblowers. "If you don't take an hour or two for maintenance or bring your machines to a pro for servicing," she says, "there's a big chance you'll be stuck watching the grass grow come spring."