False alarms, also called nuisance alarms, can be caused by things like excessive smoke from cooking or exhaust from a car. You can stop a nuisance alarm for five minutes by pressing the HUSH button (also known as the TEST button) on the Smoke Alarm.

If the alarm persists after you have silenced it and removed the source of the false alarm, try cleaning your Smoke Alarm by removing it from the mounting plate and using a soft brush to remove dust and debris from the device’s openings. Never use water, cleaners, or solvents to clean the Smoke Alarm.