Best way to maintain and store ice skates between seasons?

I learned the hard way that moisture is your real enemy - left a pair in my gym bag over the summer and the blades rusted pretty badly before I even noticed. Now I keep mine in a breathable cloth bag (not sealed plastic) in the back of a closet where there's decent airflow, and I make sure the blades are completely dry first by wiping them down and letting them sit uncovered for a day. A light coat of blade oil before storage helps protect against rust, though honestly some people skip that step and do fine. The key thing people sometimes miss is checking them halfway through the off-season - just a quick look to make sure nothing's getting damp or corroded before you need them again.

One thing people don't always think about is the insoles and liners - they can hold moisture way longer than the blades, so pull those out and let them air separately, or you'll get funk and mold creeping in by next season. Stick some silica packets or cedar blocks in the skate itself while it's stored to absorb any ambient humidity that sneaks in.

Worth thinking ahead about blade guards too - if you store them without protection, even tiny nicks or dings can develop into rust spots over months, so slip those guards on before the skates go into storage. The cloth bag idea that was mentioned earlier is solid, though just make sure whatever container you use isn't airtight, since that actually traps moisture instead of letting it escape. One question though - are you storing them in a climate-controlled space, or somewhere that gets temperature swings? That matters more than people realize.