Did you know that smoke alarms expire? They are rated to last for 10 years. Each smoke alarm should have the manufacturing date printed on it. If there’s no date, then it was manufactured before 1999. Replace it immediately.

The easiest way to maintain your smoke alarms is to get those with a sealed 10-year battery. These alarms will let you know when they reach their end of life. Then you simply replace the entire unit. Plus you don’t need to replace the battery once or twice a year.

Even if you don’t need to replace the batteries, you should still test your smoke detectors once or twice a year. You can test them by pushing the test button or using an aerosol spray. A smoking match is effective but not recommended to avoid starting a real fire.