1. Battery change yearly
Its a good idea to pick a specific day of the year to change the battery. Its better to be safe than sorry.
2. Testing and Dusting
Testing the smoke alarms at least ones a month would save you a lot of future troubles. Dusting goes hand in hand with the testing to ensure that there is no dust clogging the alarm. Dust could prevent the alarm from functioning properly.
3. A complete overhaul
Smoke alarms are not essential until the moment that it is, most homeowners tend to forget that they have a smoke alarm. After 10 years or so, it is highly recommended to replace it with an entirely new smoke alarms instead of simply replacing the battery.
4. False alarms in the kitchen
Instead of removing the battery to turn off the alarm, it would be better to re-position the alarm away from the cooking appliances. 10 feet away from any cooking appliances is the best position. You may also find smoke alarms that are specifically designed for the cooking area.
5. Pay attention to the physical
If you are doing a repaint make sure that you do not paint over the alarm over otherwise it will prevent it from working properly. It is also a good ideas to check the smoke alarm for dirt accumulations, heavy grease or smoke stains specially those that are near the kitchen.