Hood preservation: in any airtight container - and add some talcum powder. Works great - I have had 6 sets stored this way for over 8 years and they're still just as fresh as the day I got them.
Installation: coat insides lightly with KY Jelly (have your wife or significant other buy it for you). It's water-soluable, so there will be no issues later on as there would be if you used something petroleum-based such as Vaseline.