October in Ottawa means one thing for thousands of garages around the region: the convertible, the classic, the summer-only sports car gets tucked away for the winter. What happens to it over the next 5 months depends almost entirely on what you do in the next 5 hours — before it goes into storage.
This is the complete pre-storage detail checklist we use on the seasonal cars we put away every fall — Corvettes from Manotick, Miatas from Kanata, classic Mustangs from Stittsville. Get this right and you'll pull a clean, dry, perfectly-preserved car out in May. Get it wrong and you'll spend the first weekend of spring fixing mildew, mouse damage, or paint stains.
Why pre-storage prep matters more than any other detail
Most details are about how your car looks now. A storage detail is about how it looks in 6 months. The difference is huge — anything you miss has 5 months to get worse.
The three things that destroy stored cars:
- Moisture — pulls rust out of any unsealed metal, mildews any wet carpet or upholstery, and clouds windows.
- Contaminants on paint — bird droppings, tree sap, road tar that sit on paint for months will etch permanent stains.
- Rodents — mice love wiring harnesses, air filters, and any soft material. A clean, food-free interior is the first line of defence.
A proper pre-storage detail addresses all three. Here's the full checklist.
The complete pre-storage detail checklist
1. Full exterior wash and decontamination
You're not just washing dirt — you're removing every contaminant that could etch paint over the winter. That means:
- Two-bucket hand wash with pH-neutral soap.
- Iron-fallout remover (Iron-X, CarPro IronX) — turns purple when it dissolves brake dust embedded in paint and wheel surfaces. Most stored cars have weeks of accumulated brake dust that will etch by spring.
- Clay bar or clay mitt across all painted surfaces to lift bonded contaminants you can't see but can feel.
- Tar remover on the lower panels and rocker areas, especially behind the wheels.
2. Light paint correction (optional but recommended)
If there are any visible swirl marks or light scratches, fix them now — they'll be locked in by the storage wax/sealant. A one-step polish (Meguiar's M205, 3D HD Polish) on a dual-action polisher removes 80% of light swirls in 90 minutes.
Don't try to fix deep scratches at home before storage — leave those for a professional polishing session in the spring. Half-correcting deep scratches creates a hologram pattern that'll look worse in May.
3. Apply a long-lasting paint sealant
This is where you choose between three options:
| Sealant type | Storage protection | Cost (DIY) |
|---|---|---|
| Carnauba paste wax | 3–4 months — borderline for 6-month storage | $40–$80 |
| Synthetic sealant (Collinite 845) | 6–8 months — ideal for storage | $30–$50 |
| Ceramic spray topper (CarPro Reload) | 6–10 months | $40–$70 |
| Full ceramic coating (existing) | Already protected | — |
For most seasonal cars, Collinite 845 is the gold standard. It's an industrial-grade sealant designed for marine and aviation use. It survives a 6-month basement storage easily.
4. Clean and dress wheels, tires, and wheel wells
Brake dust is acidic — left on wheels for 6 months, it can permanently etch the clear coat on aluminum wheels. Clean wheels thoroughly with a dedicated wheel cleaner. Dress the tire sidewalls with a non-greasy tire dressing (304 Tire Shine, Chemical Guys VRP — avoid Armor All on tires going into storage because it can promote dry-rot over time).
Pressure-wash the wheel wells and apply a wheel-well coating or undercoating spray if the car will sit on a concrete floor (concrete wicks moisture into rubber and exposed metal).
5. Interior deep clean — every surface
This is where most DIY storage prep fails. Six months is long enough for any organic residue (food, body oils, drink spills) to ferment and produce mold. The interior needs to be hospital-clean before storage.
- Vacuum every surface, including under seats, between seats, in seat tracks, glove box, centre console.
- Steam-clean fabric or carpet at 200°F+ to sterilize and lift any organic residue.
- Wipe every hard surface with a pH-neutral all-purpose cleaner.
- Condition leather with a heavy moisturizer like Leather Honey. This is the one time you can over-condition — extra oil helps the leather survive 6 months of dry winter air.
- Empty everything. No food, no garbage, no air fresheners (the fragrances attract mice).
6. HVAC system treatment
Cabin air filters trap moisture and organic debris all summer. Sitting in storage, that filter becomes mold heaven. Either:
- Replace the cabin air filter now (the old one comes out, the new one goes in only in spring).
- Or remove it entirely and store separately, leaving the empty slot open for airflow.
Then run an HVAC sanitizer (Mothers Cockpit Restore, Klima Cleaner) through the ducts for 15 minutes to kill any existing mold spores.
7. Rodent-proofing
Mice are the #1 cause of stored-car damage in Ottawa. Three things they want: warmth, soft nesting material, and food access. Defeat all three:
- Steel wool or copper mesh in the exhaust tip and air intake (don't forget to remove in spring).
- Peppermint oil cotton balls — set in each footwell, the trunk, and on the engine cover. Refresh every 8 weeks.
- Mouse traps OR an electronic rodent repeller placed near the car (not inside it).
- Do not store food, gum, or candy anywhere in the cabin. Empty every console pocket.
8. Engine bay and underbody
- Add fuel stabilizer to a full tank of gas. Run the car for 5 minutes to circulate it through the fuel system.
- Change the oil and oil filter before storage, not after. Old oil contains acidic combustion byproducts that corrode the engine.
- Top up coolant, brake fluid, washer fluid. Check that all caps are tight.
- Wipe down the engine bay with a dry microfibre. Avoid water on hot engines for 2+ hours before storage.
9. Final storage steps
- Park on a moisture-blocking mat (cardboard or rubber on concrete; bare on wood).
- Tire pressure to 5 PSI over normal to prevent flat-spotting. Even better: jack stands.
- Battery on a maintainer (CTEK MXS 5.0, Battery Tender Junior). Disconnecting the battery without a maintainer can ruin a modern battery in 6 months.
- Breathable car cover — never plastic tarps, which trap moisture and cause paint damage.
- Crack a window 5–10 mm if the storage space is dry and rodent-free. This equalizes humidity inside the cabin.
Want us to do this for you?
Our Platinum Pre-Storage Detail covers every step above except battery and tire setup. We come to your driveway in Ottawa with the full van — Collinite 845 sealant, steam cleaner, and leather conditioner included.
Book Platinum →From $349.99 sedan · 4–5 hours · Pay after
When to do your pre-storage detail
The ideal Ottawa timeline:
- Late September to mid-October: while it's still dry enough to wash outside, and before the first salt spreader hits the roads.
- Avoid the first week of November: often the first salt week of the season in Ottawa. You don't want fresh salt locked under your wax.
- If you've already had salt exposure: book an interior detail with full salt removal before storage, otherwise the salt will keep working all winter.
Spring un-storage: 30 minutes to get back on the road
When you pull the car out in April or May:
- Pull the steel wool from the exhaust and intake.
- Reinstall the cabin air filter (or replace if you removed it).
- Check tire pressure and bring back to spec.
- Disconnect the battery maintainer, check voltage (should be 12.6V or higher).
- Start the car. Let it idle 10 minutes. Listen for anything unusual.
- Take it for a 20-minute drive to circulate fluids and reset all the rubber seals.
- Book a wake-up wash to remove storage dust and check for any winter damage.
A car that was properly prepped for storage needs almost nothing in the spring. A car that wasn't can need hundreds of dollars in remediation — paint detailing, mildew removal, rodent damage, dead battery, dry-rotted tires.
Cost of pre-storage prep
| Approach | Time | Cost | Risk if done wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full DIY (with right products) | 6–9 hours of your time | $120–$200 in materials | Missed steps; common mistakes around wax type and rodent prep |
| Quick wash + cover | 1 hour | $20 | High — paint stains, mildew, rodent damage all likely |
| Go Detailing Platinum + Pre-Storage Add-on | 0 hours yours | $349.99 + add-ons | Low — every step on this checklist included |
If your stored car is worth more than $20,000 (most are), the math is overwhelming in favour of a professional pre-storage detail. The cost is less than one paint repair, less than one set of mouse-damaged wiring, less than one full upholstery cleaning to fix mildew.
The pre-storage detail is the highest-ROI service we do, period. Six months of preservation for one afternoon of work.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I do my pre-storage detail in Ottawa?
Late September to mid-October is the sweet spot — warm enough to wash outside, late enough that you've already squeezed in the last good driving days, but before the first salt spreader runs in early November.
Is a regular wax good enough for 6-month storage?
Carnauba wax usually fades to ineffective by month 4. For 5-6 month Ottawa storage, use a synthetic sealant like Collinite 845, a ceramic spray topper, or an existing ceramic coating. The extra $15 in materials is the cheapest insurance you'll buy.
Do I really need to worry about mice in an Ottawa garage?
Yes — even in heated, attached garages. We've seen $3,000 in wiring damage from mice in newer Kanata garages. Steel wool in exhaust/intakes, peppermint oil cotton balls in the cabin, and zero food residue are the minimum precautions.
Should I leave the parking brake on during storage?
No — leave it off. Long-engaged parking brakes can seize on the rotor. Chock the wheels instead. This applies especially to drum-brake cars and many classic vehicles.
Do I need to start the car periodically through the winter?
Actually no — and short start-ups can do more harm than good (incomplete combustion leaves moisture in the exhaust). Better to leave the car untouched on a battery maintainer and do a proper 20-minute drive in the spring.
Will Go Detailing come to my storage location?
Yes — we detail seasonal vehicles in private garages, storage units, and outdoor driveways across Ottawa. We just need power, water access (we bring our own if needed), and a 30-minute window for setup.