Back-to-School Prep Starts at Home

The school supply list covers the backpack. This one covers the house.

The standard recommendation is to test every detector monthly and replace batteries once a year. Most people do neither. Back-to-school is as good a trigger as any — the kids are back on a schedule, and now so are your detectors. Test each one, replace anything that chirps, and replace any unit that's more than 10 years old. The manufacture date is stamped on the back.

One thing that gets missed: detectors outside bedrooms and on every level of the home, including the basement. If yours are only in the hallway, you have gaps.

CO alarms have the same 10-year lifespan as smoke detectors — and far fewer people check them. If yours are more than a decade old, replace them now before heating season. CO has no smell. The alarm is the only warning you get.

If you have an attached garage, a CO detector inside the home near that connection point is not optional. It's the one most commonly missing.

The garage door is the largest moving object in most homes and one of the least maintained. Once a year: test the auto-reverse by placing a 2x4 flat on the ground in the door's path and closing it. It should reverse on contact. If it doesn't, call a technician before the kids start using it unsupervised again.

Check the springs, cables, and rollers visually for wear. If anything looks frayed or off-track, don't wait on it. And if your opener is more than 20 years old, it may not have auto-reverse at all — that's a replacement conversation.

This one isn't a safety issue — it's a sanity issue. The back-to-school entryway is where Tuesday mornings either function or fall apart. Hooks at kid height, a spot for backpacks, a charging station that isn't the kitchen counter. Fifteen minutes of organization now saves a month of searching for things on the way out the door.

And if the exterior of your entryway has been through a full summer of foot traffic, humidity, and heat — that's worth a look too. Scuffed pavers, stained concrete, and a grimy front door set the tone before anyone's even inside.

Before the first day arrives, take a quick walk around the house:

☐ Test every smoke detector
☐ Check the age and batteries of your CO alarms
☐ Make sure you have detectors on every level and near bedrooms
☐ Test your garage door's auto-reverse
☐ Look for wear on garage springs, cables, and rollers
☐ Get backpacks, shoes, and school gear organized
☐ Take a look at your front door, walkway, and entryway exterior

A little maintenance now can mean fewer surprises once everyone's back to a busy school-year schedule.

And if your front entryway could use a post-summer reset, we're happy to help.