Spiders, beetles, or other insects maneuvering inside or around your detector can set off the alarm. Remove the device's cover, and have a flyswatter ready. Keep bugs at bay by applying insect spray around, but not on, your smoke detector, or schedule a visit from pest control. Clean your device regularly.
Regular Cleaning: Dust and debris can attract bugs. Clean your smoke detector regularly with a vacuum or a soft brush to remove any buildup. Insect Repellent: Use insect repellent sprays around the area, but avoid spraying directly on the smoke detector. Instead, focus on the surrounding areas to deter bugs.
Spiders are cold blooded yes, but apparently they will set off the alarm if the walk directly over the sensor. Using a cotton bud, wipe a little bit of bleach around the casing. Apparently spiders don't like bleach and will keep away.
“The fumes which these devices can generate are enough to set off smoke alarms in your home. Smoke bombs are best left to pest control experts, who know how to manage the risks.
You can take a large latex glove or a shower cap, place it over the smoke detector and seal it on with duct tape. Just be sure to take it off when you are done doing whatever you are doing that will set it off.
(WITHOUT TAMPERING WITH THEM OR COVERING THEM UP, which is illegal and could open you up to criminal liability should a fire occur, and we definitely don't want that)!
Cover the Detector
Covering the smoke detector with a dishcloth can work. You could also use a shower cap or a rubber band and plastic wrap to temporarily disable the smoke detector.
Dust, dirt, and even spiders can get into an alarm and make it falsely sound. They can be cleaned with a vacuum or compressed air.
Users need to be aware that bug bombs for spiders primarily contain repellents, meaning they will likely drive pests to other parts of the house instead of killing them. Residue around the home can also prompt asthmatic symptoms, and flammable aerosol propellants come with a risk of fire or explosion.
Tips to prevent nuisance fire alarms:
Do not spray aerosol products (air fresheners, hair spray, spray paint, perfume, mists, body sprays, insect spray or powders, etc.) near smoke detectors or in large amounts.
Spiders really don't like strong scents such as citrus, peppermint, tea-tree, lavender, rose or cinnamon. Add 15 to 20 drops of your chosen essential oil or a couple of capfuls of Zoflora fragrance to a spray bottle filled with water, and spritz around the house.
Spiders hate the smell of peppermint. Fill a spray bottle with water and 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil and spray in places spiders tend to hide—under furniture, in closets, and in other corners and crevices of your house.
Lavender, mint, eucalyptus, and citronella are known to deter spiders from building their webs near them. If incorporating these plants into your landscaping isn't a possibility, you can also spray essential oils with these scents, in addition to peppermint or tea tree oil, anywhere spiders are a problem.
How many do I need? Smoke detectors should be placed outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms.
Small bugs love dark crevices in your home, so they may crawl into your smoke detectors, triggering a false alarm. If you don't know what caused an alarm, open the device and check for small insects. If pests are pre- sent, clean the detector with a vacuum attachment or electronic aerosol cleaner.
Lots of strong scents are great spider deterrents and, luckily, many are already used traditionally as home fragrances. Peppermint oil is a particularly popular remedy, as are tea tree, lavender and rose.
Some bug men think spraying or fogging brown recluse habitats is counterproductive because the spray probably won't kill many brown recluses, but might just kill spiders and other bugs that prey on the brown recluses. Brown recluse spiders like hot, dry places.
Physical methods: Wong says the most surefire way to kill a spider instantly is to squish it with a shoe, swatter, or rolled up newspaper. “If you're afraid to get close, then vacuuming it up is a good option," he says.
Simply vacuum and wipe down the outside of the unit. For all smoke alarms, spray bug repellent on a cloth and wipe the ceiling around the unit to act as a future bug deterrent.
If you insist on covering your unit, keep in mind that it won't be able to alert you in the event of a fire. Remember to remove the tape when you're done. Once the room has cleared out, simply peel off and dispose of the tape.
This is mainly due to spiders disliking the smell of smoke. So lighting and blowing out the candles (or just matches) will help deter them. Spiders also hate smells such as lemon, cinnamon and citronella, so candles in these scents will be extra-effective.
To help disguise the smell even more, they may burn incense or spray an odor eliminator like Febreze. Method #4 – Put a damp towel at the bottom of the door. This method helps keep the smoke from escaping the room, but the smoke remains in the room.
Socks belong on the floor or on your feet, not hanging off the ceiling over the smoke detector.