I like where your priorities are! I have been forced to keep my engines in a box in a closet for the winter. Perhaps if I can take your approach my wife would clean them as part of her weekly dusting routine?!
When she left, it occurred to me that if I wanted to work on the kart in the house nothing was really stopping me. :-) I had my kids Cadet in the Dining room last winter as I rebuilt it from scratch. Had it in the house for about a month right on the dinning room table. I will admit that I took it back to the garage once the Motor was mounted. Why not, it was warm in the house! Haha