Will Incense Set Off Your Smoke Alarm?

Burning incense inside the house is an excellent way to cleanse the home, create a protective aura, and help you concentrate throughout the day. But since incense creates smoke, you might be wondering will incense set off your smoke alarm? Yes, it can set off your smoke alarm if you’re underneath your detector, but it’s very easy to avoid.

Here is how incense can set off your smoke alarm and how to avoid it.

How Does Incense Set Off Your Smoke Alarm?

When you burn incense, the material the incense is made of creates smoke. Your home likely has smoke detectors throughout it that are meant to go off in the event that there’s a large amount of smoke. These can be found on the ceiling or on very high points of your wall.

If you burn incense near these smoke alarms for prolonged periods of time, there’s a chance it will go off. Some smoke detectors are pickier than others. So while your friend’s detector never goes off when they burn incense, yours may go off at the first sign of smoke.

How Do You Avoid Setting Off Your Smoke Alarm When Burning Incense?

The best way to avoid setting off your smoke alarm is to burn incense near a well-ventilated area. These areas are meant to help push the smoke out of the house faster than others. You should almost always be burning incense in a well-ventilated area to help avoid setting off the smoke alarm as well as for the benefit of your health.

Burning incense outside or on your porch will help prevent your smoke alarm from going off as well. Just be mindful to have an incense burner to catch the falling ash.

Do Certain Incense Create More Smoke?

Not all incense sticks are made the same. Most are made with resin, but there are also options for wood. Wood tends to create more smoke than resin options, but these wood options tend to burn for longer.

Thicker incense sticks or cones will also have more burning at once. The more incense burning at any given time, the more smoke the incense will create.

Best Places to Put Your Incense While They Burn

Well ventilated areas that you should burn your incense include an open window, open door, or anywhere that has an exhaust fan. The open window and open door allow the smoke to immediately leave your home. This may help immediately carry the negative energy out as well, rather than lingering with the smoke.

Exhaust fans are commonly found in the bathroom. These fans lead directly to the outside, helping remove the smoke from the bathroom. You should also leave the door open to the bathroom.