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When deciding on which of the different types of smoke alarms to purchase to protect your family and your home, it is recommended that you do your research, choose the smoke alarms that have the features you feel will best serve your needs in the home, then purchase them and either have them installed or install them yourself. And you do not just get one smoke alarm–unless, of course, you live in a 1-room apartment. If you live in a regular house or apartment with many rooms and bedrooms, you get one for each of the bedrooms, the upstairs living area (if applicable), the kitchen, the laundry room, the foyer (again, if applicable), and the basement. If you want to be ultra-protected, you could install one in your home’s attic, as well. You should not install a smoke alarm directly outside the door of the bathroom where you shower, or you will likely, inadvertently, set off the alarm when you open the door after showering. You can usually stop the alarm sound by waving a towel or washcloth in the air around the smoke alarm.

There are several types of smoke detectors available to choose from. Some are plain, old-fashioned battery smoke alarms like in the past–plain white plastic that emits a loud chirp or alarm and runs on battery power. There are some that are combination protection, such as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in one, also emitting a loud, screeching alarm when it senses either smoke or carbon monoxide in the air. There are even some smoke and heat alarms that talk to you and sound an alarm and also some that have a strobe light feature to alert the hearing impaired.

The energy supply for each smoke detector varies. Some smoke alarms run on plain battery power. Some battery power smoke alarms can be operated by remote, eliminating the need to get something to climb on to shut it off in the event of a false alarm. Then there are the smoke alarms that are hard-wired to your home’s electrical supply. The hard-wired models have their advantages, like a constant supply of energy with little need to change batteries. However, they do have battery backup, which comes in handy when the power goes out. These models will chirp when the 9-volt backup battery starts to die, reminding you to change the battery. Remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors at least once a year.