Test Your Smoke Alarms Once a Month

A smoke alarm with a dead battery is worse than no alarm at all, because it gives you false confidence while doing nothing. Batteries fail silently, and most people only discover it during an actual fire — or never.

Pick a date you'll remember, like the first of the month, and press the test button on every alarm in the house — it takes under two minutes total. Replace the batteries once a year regardless of whether they seem fine, and replace the whole unit every ten years, since the sensor itself wears out even if the beep still works.