A method for pretreating substrate surfaces, which are provided as carrier materials for vapor phase corrosion inhibitors, in order to facilitate or enable subsequent fixing to the substrate surfaces of vapor phase corrosion inhibitors from an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic solution comprising the vapor phase corrosion inhibitors, which method comprises applying a substance combination which comprises urea, at least one chitosan biopolymer having a degree of deacetylation of from 70% to 95%, and at least one dicarboxylic acid in aqueous solution, as a primer onto said substrate surfaces.