Oil the cylinder, then put the plug back in.

Storing a chainsaw with the spark plug out and a squirt of oil down the hole is a legit winterizing trick — just make sure the plug goes back in before it goes on the shelf.

The point isn’t the plug being out. The point is getting oil onto the cylinder wall and piston. Over a few months of sitting, condensation builds up inside the engine, and that’s what rusts the bore. A teaspoon of oil down the plug hole coats everything and stops that from happening.

Use actual fogging oil if you have it. If not, a bit of your normal 2-stroke mix works in a pinch. Pour it in, put the plug back in (don’t hook the wire up), and pull the cord a few times to spread it around. And drain the fuel tank or run the carb dry first — old gas is what gums up carbs, not the cylinder.

Leaving the plug out all winter is where people go wrong. It’s an open hole. Dust gets in, moisture gets in, and if you knock a nut or a leaf down there, you’re pulling the jug apart to fish it out. There’s no benefit to leaving the cylinder open.

Ten minutes of this in the fall beats a stuck piston in the spring.