Locations for Installing Smoke Detectors

Level By Level

• Install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home. If you do, a detector can raise the alarm no matter where a fire starts. Make sure you install smoke detectors even in the areas that aren't used frequently, including the basement and attic. A fire can start anywhere, not just in the common areas of your home.

Kitchen

• The kitchen is a likely starting point for a fire. Stove burner flames and cooking appliances are potential fire sources. Install a smoke detector in your kitchen -- but not so close to appliances that it goes off with normal cooking -- to alert you if an appliance malfunctions or a cooking experiment turns into a recipe for danger.

Sleeping Areas

• Place detectors in all of the sleeping areas, or bedrooms, in your home. Ideally, you should put one detector inside each room. You also can place one in the hallway between two rooms, but this is only safe if bedroom doors are kept open all night. Make sure to include detectors in guest bedrooms, no matter how infrequently they are used.

Positions and Placement

• Install smoke detectors high on the walls or on your ceiling. Smoke rises, so the detector will "notice" the smoke in a high location more quickly than in a low one. If you install a smoke detector on the ceiling, the National Fire Protection Association's website advocates putting it at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall. It recommends placing wall-mounted smoke detectors 4 to 12 inches away from the ceiling.