According to officials, you should plug it directly into the outlet and never leave it unattended. Wong also suggests you check smoke alarms, something she says we should be doing once a month.

The best smoke detector can provide an important first line of defense from fire. We recently put the top smoke detectors to the test. See which ones performed best.

CR's testers say these models from First Alert and Kidde are great at protecting you and your loved ones from harmCR's ...