Thank you, First Alert, for sponsoring this post. Don’t wait to replace!
One very important part of my spring cleaning routine every year is making sure that as I clean and declutter, I also make sure to make my home safer. One of the things that is always on my to-do list every year is checking the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms we have in our home.
Did you know alarms don’t last forever? That’s right! Those alarms installed in your home’s ceiling, the ones we tend to forget about completely unless they accidentally set off (in our home cooking bacon tends to do the trick) should be replaced at least every ten years. And there is no better time than now to check and replace your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms!
How to make sure that your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working properly:
- First, make sure that you have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in every bedroom and on every level of your home to alert your family and give you enough time to get to safety quickly.
- Check the back of your alarms for the manufacturing date; if it’s ten years old, it’s time to replace them.
- If it’s time to replace, upgrade to First Alert 10-Year Sealed Battery Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms, which provide 2-in-1 protection. This alarm provides 10-years of protection and eliminates the need for battery replacements and late-night battery chirps for a decade!
- Replace batteries every six months.
- Test your alarms regularly.
Create your own home fire escape plan
- When it comes to fire safety, being prepared is the most important thing you can do for your family. Besides making sure that your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working properly it is also important to put in place a home fire escape plan.
- Get the family together and do a walk-through of the house.
- Make sure there is a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm in each bedroom and that it’s working properly.
- Find at least two ways out of each room, including doors and windows. If they are older, make sure that your kids can open the windows on their own.
- Make a simple plan of your home and mark all of the exits.
- Designate an outside meeting place a safe distance away from your home.
- Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Why I choose First Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for my home
Keeping my family safe is the most important thing for me. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are a great way to ensure that we are alerted if there is a fire or a CO leak and my family can get to safety out of harm’s way quickly.
I love that the 10-Year Sealed Battery Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm from First Alert protects my family both from fires and from carbon monoxide exposure. I like that this alarm provides 10-years of protection and eliminates the need for battery replacements and late-night battery chirps for a decade!
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
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Fire safety is so ignored in my house. We have fire extinguishers that are not charged but our smoke alarms work well. CO protection is also lacking in my house so this is a good reminder.
Having smoke detectors and co detectors are so important. Our furnace was giving off co and we were thankful that the co detector alerted us
This is extremely helpful information. One of my favorite programs with my sons scouts was figuring out our family fire and emergency plans and sleeping better knowing my kids were aware and had practiced and even better never having to use the knowledge!
Haha I know this is out of the topic but I find it so cute how your husband smiles and stare at you on the pic.
Haha I know this is out of the topic but I find it so cute how your husband smiles and stare at you on the pic.
I love this idea because we never really know when a fire will strike. It’s best to be always ready.
I love this and so important to have this to prevent fire especially during this summer season
I think this is such an important topic. I also love First Alert. They have amazing products for the home.
We have carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. Safety is a priority over here. And we check them regularly.
Carbon monoxide alarms are sometimes underrated and this looks like a really good product. Thanks for sharing, will check it out
Fire prevention is so important. We have a new home and need to create a new fire escape plan.
Thanks for this informative article. I actually had no idea that smoke alarms need to be changed, even though it is every 10 years. Good to know and will certainly be looking further into the ones at home. Cheers.
I didn’t know that it has to be replaced in 10 years. Thanks to this very informative article
It’s still summer season here and fire from the nearby cities are getting frequent, thanks for sharing these tips!
My daughter was in her new home for less than 48 hours when it was destroyed by fire. No time to have made a plan, but thank goodness the neighbors were there to helpl