Spring cleaning and home safety don't forget your alarms
Spring is the perfect time to refresh your home—decluttering, deep cleaning, and making every space feel fresh. But while you’re busy scrubbing and organising, don’t overlook the most essential step: checking your home safety alarms!
Why Safety is Part of Cleaning
Just like dust builds up in hidden corners, alarms can become faulty over time due to battery failure, dust accumulation, or wear and tear. A clean home is a happy home, but a safe home is a protected home.
Smoke Alarms
Install these on every floor. Optical smoke alarms detect fire early, giving you crucial time to react safely.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Place these near gas appliances. A CO alarm is the only way to detect this invisible, odourless gas.
Heat Alarms
Ideal for kitchens! Heat alarms won't go off from burnt toast but will provide vital fire detection.
Regular Maintenance
Neglecting these devices puts your family at risk. Use a fire safety kit to ensure you have everything covered during your clean.
The Alarming Truth
- 1 in 4 homes do not have a working smoke alarm.
- Working smoke alarms make you four times less likely to experience a fatal fire.
- 1 in 3 homes lack a carbon monoxide alarm.
- CO can travel through walls—it is colourless, tasteless, and odourless.
Your Safety Checklist
- Test Your Alarms: Press the test button on every unit in the house.
- Replace Batteries: If not hardwired, change 9V batteries at least once a year.
- Clean the Sensors: Wipe down alarms with microfibre cloths to remove dust.
- Check Expiry Dates: Most alarms need replacing every 10 years.
- Never Ignore Beeps: If an alarm chirps, find the fault and fix it immediately.
As you spring clean your home, think beyond just making it look good—make it safer too. A few minutes spent now could prevent disaster and give you total peace of mind. Let's spring clean smarter!
Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo
