Get to know one of your home's best lifesaving devices

Posted by Help Now on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016 at 2:09pm.

Smoke detectors are one of the most overlooked safety features in homes today. Yet proper use and care of smoke detectors can dramatically reduce your and your family's risk of being injured or dying in a home fire. Here's what you may not know about these lifesaving devices:

You may need more smoke detectors than you have. Experts recommend that you have a smoke detector on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas. Bedrooms with doors that remain closed all the time need their own detectors. Smoke detectors should be installed away from windows, doors and air ducts.

Your children may not know what to do if they hear a smoke alarm. Teach children what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it. Sounds simple, but many younger children have never actually heard a smoke alarm going off and don't know where they should immediately go when they hear it.

Your smoke detector may need to be cleaned. Vacuum over and around your detectors regularly, as dust and dirt can impair performance.

You may have a disabled alarm in your home. Check your detectors frequently to make sure that no one in your household has removed a battery or otherwise disabled a smoke alarm triggered by steam from a shower or something that burned in the oven.

You may need to replace one or more of the units in your home. Smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years. Don't know when they were last replaced? Get some new ones.

About the Author:

Utah Dave - Neighborhood ExpertUtah Dave - Daybreak Neighboorhood Expert and Local Resident

My friends nicknamed me Utah Dave in high school because they said it didn't matter where we went in Utah, I would know how to get there and who we needed to talk to. The name sticks today as UtahDave has formed into a professional real estate network of Neighborhood Experts all across the state. I live in Daybreak with my wife and 4 amazing children. I enjoy dancing (which is how I met my wife Dawn) as well as traveling, coaching, and learning.

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