Home Safety Checklist: Room-by-Room and Season-by-Season

Use this checklist one section at a time. Most items take minutes and cost little. The calendar at the end tells you what to check each month and season.

Smoke alarms

Working smoke alarms are your first warning in a home fire. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) gives these rules:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom.
• Install one outside each separate sleeping area.
• Install one on every level of the home, including the basement.
• For the best protection, use interconnected alarms. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Test alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old, or sooner if they do not sound when tested.

The Red Cross adds: change the batteries at least once a year if your model needs it. Check the date on the back of each alarm so you know when it turns 10.

• Alarm in every bedroom
• Alarm outside each sleeping area
• Alarm on every level, including the basement
• All alarms under 10 years old
• Monthly test on the calendar

Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms

Ready.gov says CO alarms give early warning of carbon monoxide inside your home. Install them and keep them working.

• Placement. USFA and Ready.gov say to install CO alarms in a central location outside each separate sleeping area and on every level.
• Power. The CDC recommends a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector.
• Batteries. The CDC says to check or replace the battery when you change your clocks each spring and fall.
• Replacement. Follow the replacement date on the alarm or in the maker’s instructions.
• If it sounds. The CDC says to leave your home right away and call 911.

Never use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or other gasoline or charcoal device inside your home. The CDC also warns against running them outside less than 20 feet from a window, door or vent.

• CO alarm outside each sleeping area
• CO alarm on every level
• Batteries checked at each clock change

Fire extinguishers and your escape plan

Fire extinguisher

The Texas Department of Insurance notes that most home extinguishers are rated for Class A, B and C fires. Look for that rating on the label.

Only fight a fire if it is small, contained and not growing. Texas fire officials compare the right size to a small trash can.

Fire safety officials also advise keeping your back to a clear exit. If smoke fills the room or the fire spreads, get out and close the door behind you.

To use it, remember PASS:

1. Pull the pin.
2. Aim low at the base of the fire.
3. Squeeze the lever slowly.
4. Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

Once a month, check that it is fully charged, not damaged, and the nozzle is not blocked. Texas recommends yearly service by a licensed extinguisher company.

Home fire escape plan

The Red Cross says two minutes may be all you have to escape a home fire. Your plan should include:

• At least two ways out of every room
• A meeting spot at a safe distance from the house
• A drill at least twice a year, until everyone can get out in under two minutes

Once you are out, stay out. The Red Cross says no one should go back inside, even for pets, because firefighters will handle rescues.

See our fire safety and preparedness guide for more.

• Extinguisher mounted where every adult knows it is
• Monthly extinguisher check on the calendar
• Two ways out of every room
• Outside meeting spot chosen
• Fire drill done twice a year

Utility shutoffs

Everyone old enough should know where the gas, water and electric shutoffs are. The Red Cross advises learning how to turn off each utility. If a utility is damaged, turn it off.

Gas

Ready.gov gives clear rules:

• If you smell natural gas, get out. Call 911 once you are a safe distance from the house.
• Gas shutoff steps vary by meter. Learn yours and show everyone in the house.
• Practice the motion, but do not actually turn off the gas when practicing.
• If you turn the gas off in an emergency, a qualified professional must turn it back on.
• In an apartment, ask the building manager or landlord how the gas is shut off.

If you smell gas, your first job is to get everyone out and call 911 from a safe distance. Turn the gas off only when officials tell you to or there is damage, since a professional must restore it.

Water and electricity

• Find the main water valve. Tag it so it is easy to spot.
• Find the main electrical panel and the main breaker.
• Keep a flashlight near both.

• Gas meter shutoff found and labeled
• Water main found and labeled
• Main breaker found and labeled
• Every adult and teen knows all three

Secure heavy furniture and the water heater

In an earthquake, falling objects cause many injuries. The Red Cross lists TVs, shelves, mirrors, pictures, water heaters, refrigerators and bookcases as items that could fall. Straps, hooks and latches for these are widely sold.

Ready.gov’s earthquake advice:

• Secure TVs and objects that hang on walls.
• Store heavy and breakable items on low shelves.
• Consider a retrofit if your building has structural weak points.

For the water heater, FEMA describes a homeowner whose heater was held in place by metal straps fixed to the wall studs. The low-cost strapping protected the home from fire after an earthquake.

See how to prepare for earthquakes for more.

• Water heater strapped to wall studs
• Tall bookcases and dressers anchored to the wall
• TVs and wall-hung items secured
• Heavy and breakable items on low shelves

Roof, gutters, trees and outside

Wind and water do a lot of damage when a home is not ready. FEMA’s hurricane guidance includes:

• Clear loose and clogged gutters and downspouts.
• Keep trees and shrubs well trimmed so they resist wind better.
• Plan to bring in outdoor furniture, decorations and trash cans before a storm.
• Install straps or extra clips to fasten the roof to the frame.
• Reinforce garage doors. Wind getting into a garage can cause major damage.
• Permanent storm shutters offer the best window protection. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.

• Gutters and downspouts clear
• Trees trimmed, dead branches removed
• Plan for bringing in outdoor items
• Roof and garage door checked

Laundry room: dryer safety

The USFA gives five rules to prevent dryer fires:

1. Have the dryer installed and serviced by a professional.
2. Never use the dryer without a lint filter. Clean it before and after each load.
3. Clean the back of the dryer, where lint builds up.
4. Check that the vent behind the dryer is not damaged, crushed or blocked.
5. Make sure the outdoor vent flap opens when the dryer runs.

• Lint filter cleaned every load
• Vent hose not crushed or kinked
• Outside vent flap opens

Electrical and fire hazards

Ready.gov’s safety skills page advises:

• Keep electrical cords untangled.
• Do not overload power strips. This can cause a fire.

• No overloaded power strips
• Cords in good shape, not under rugs or tangled

Home inventory for insurance

A home inventory makes an insurance claim faster and more accurate. South Dakota’s insurance regulator recommends a room-by-room inventory with photos and proof of ownership.

1. Walk through each room and take photos or video of everything.
2. Record descriptions and serial numbers for valuable items.
3. Keep receipts or other proof of purchase for big items.
4. Store the inventory online, in a fireproof box or in a safe deposit box.
5. Consider sharing a copy with a relative and your insurance provider.

The NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) offers a free home inventory checklist and app.

• Photos or video of every room
• Serial numbers for electronics and appliances
• Copy stored away from the house

Seasonal home safety calendar

When	Task	Source
Every dryer load	Clean the lint filter	USFA
Monthly	Test every smoke alarm	USFA
Monthly	Check fire extinguisher pressure, damage and nozzle	Texas Dept. of Insurance
Spring and fall (clock change)	Check or replace CO alarm batteries	CDC
Twice a year	Run a home fire drill	Red Cross
Spring and fall	Review family plans and emergency kits	Fairfax County OEM
Before storm season	Clear gutters, trim trees, check roof and garage door	FEMA
Yearly	Change smoke alarm batteries, if your model needs it	Red Cross
Yearly	Service fire extinguisher	Texas Dept. of Insurance
Yearly	Update your family communication plan	FEMA
Every 10 years	Replace smoke alarms	USFA

Pair this checklist with a written family emergency plan, so everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong.

Related guides

• Fire Safety at Home: Prevention, Escape Plan and Wildfire Prep
• How to Prepare for Earthquakes: Before, During and After

Sources

• Smoke Alarm Infographic — U.S. Fire Administration
• Two Minutes May Be All You Have to Escape a Home Fire — American Red Cross
• Household Preparedness Guide — American Red Cross
• Carbon Monoxide Alarms (pictograph) — U.S. Fire Administration
• Winter Ready: Carbon Monoxide Safety — Ready.gov / FEMA
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• How to Choose and Use a Fire Extinguisher — Texas Department of Insurance, State Fire Marshal’s Office
• JBSA Fire Safety Officials Stress Safe Evacuation Over Fire Extinguisher Use — Joint Base San Antonio (U.S. Air Force)
• Life Saving Skills Toolkit — Ready.gov / FEMA
• Earthquake Preparedness Checklist — American Red Cross
• Earthquakes — Ready.gov / FEMA
• Non-Structural Mitigation: Cost-Effective Way of Preventing Damage — FEMA
• Hurricane Safety Tips — FEMA
• Clothes Dryer Fire Safety — U.S. Fire Administration
• Home Inventory — South Dakota Division of Insurance
• Make an Emergency Plan — Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management
• Family Emergency Communication Plan (form) — FEMA / Ready.gov