The Importance of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Your Home

Installing smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors is an important step toward ensuring a safe home. According to Consumer Reports, both are inexpensive, easy to install, and can save lives. Whereas smoke alarms can notify residents of a fire, CO alarms are just as important because CO, a poisonous gas that is colorless and odorless, cannot be perceived except by a CO detector. CO poisoning incidents can occur when equipment, appliances, or vehicles are improperly used or vented. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an estimated 150 people die yearly from accidental CO poisoning.

Although most homeowners know that having a smoke alarm is important, according to a report by the National Fire Protection Association, almost three out of every five fire fatalities from 2014 to 2018 happened in a home with no fire alarms or when fire alarms failed to operate.

Properly installing and maintaining your home smoke alarms is important, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home and, preferably, in every bedroom. Further smoke alarm safety suggestions from the Consumer Product Safety Commission include the following:

• Test your smoke alarms monthly.
• Replace smoke alarm batteries annually.
• Consider using an interconnected smoke alarm because if one of them detects smoke, the other alarms will also sound.
• Develop a family fire escape plan and practice your plan twice a year with all family members.
• Never go back inside your home if a fire occurs inside. Get out, stay out, and call for help!

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, you should contact your local fire marshal to confirm whether your city, county, or state requires a specific type of fire alarm. Also, call your local fire department’s non-emergency phone number to ask about reduced-price or free smoke alarms. You can also check with your insurance company to see if they offer a discount on your home insurance if you have smoke detectors. The U.S. Fire Administration lists several types of smoke alarms that are available and their starting prices as follows:

• Ionization and photoelectric: six dollars
• Dual sensor: twenty-four dollars
• Smoke alarms with a microprocessor that ensures fewer false alarms and are faster to alert: thirty dollars
• Wireless/radio frequency that communicates without wires: forty dollars

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends installing CO detectors on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas and testing the batteries each month. The symptoms of CO poisoning may include the following:

• Mental confusion
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Loss of muscular coordination
• Loss of consciousness
• Death

Portable generators, charcoal grills, or camp stoves should never be used inside the home, according to the CPSC, and generators should be at least twenty feet away from your home, with the exhaust facing away from the house. If you smell gas, you should get out of the house and call 911, and do not turn lights on or off or use electrical equipment or phones. The CPSC also suggests using battery-operated lanterns or flashlights instead of candles if you have a house fire and the lights are out.

Consumer Reports states that it rigorously tests each CO and smoke detector that enters its labs. The tests assess the detectors’ response to both flaming fires and smoky, smoldering fires. Although, in the past, smoke detectors generally could not detect both, many detectors are now equipped with multiple sensors. For combination detectors, Consumer Reports also assesses low CO levels (one hundred parts per million [ppm]), high CO levels (four hundred ppm), and the accuracy of CO measurements of digital displays or audio announcements.

Consumer Reports suggests using a combination of smoke and CO detectors for complete protection in the home. Some home security systems can incorporate smoke and CO detectors and sound an alarm both inside and outside the house, triggering the security system when detectors go off and notifying the police, fire department, or the resident’s cell phone.

Because fires burn differently, different types of smoke detectors are available. An ionization smoke detector works best for detecting the small particles from fast, flaming fires. It is not as effective in detecting smoldering, smoky fires and often can cause false alarms, especially if it is mounted near a kitchen or bathroom. Photoelectric smoke detectors are better to use near kitchens because they are not prone to false alarms caused by burnt food, and they best detect smoky, smoldering fires but are not as good at detecting fast, flaming fires. Dual-sensor smoke detectors combine photoelectric technology and ionization to detect both smoldering and flaming fires.

CO detectors use sensors to detect the presence of CO in the home; however, they do not detect explosive gases—such as methane, propane, and natural gas—or smoke. Combination smoke and CO detectors are available in conventional (not internet-connected) and smart models that can be used with a companion smartphone app.

Homes with smoke and CO detectors are much safer, so installing both is highly recommended. To help you choose the best smoke and CO detectors to purchase for your home, review the ratings provided by Consumer Reports.^[1] A little research can go a long way to ensure the safety of your home for yourself and your family.

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^[1] Consumer Reports. 2025. Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors. https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/smoke-carbon-monoxide-detectors/