Clocks Back, Check Your Kit: A Daylight Saving Time Checklist
Updated: 13h
Daylight saving time ended at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and it starts again on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when most of the U.S. springs forward one hour. Fire departments have used the clock changes for decades as a reminder to check smoke alarm batteries. They're also the easiest time to check your emergency kit: the dates are already on the calendar, and the fall change lands right before winter storm season. This daylight saving time checklist takes about 30 to 60 minutes for most homes. Work through it with your family twice a year, every time the clocks change.
Quick answer: the clocks change twice a year, in March and November. Each time, test smoke and CO alarms, swap old batteries, refill water you stored yourself, eat and replace food near its date, check first aid and medicine dates, and update clothes and contacts. It takes 30 to 60 minutes.
Why "Fall Back" Is the Perfect Kit-Check Day
Most emergency kits don't fail because people never bought anything. They fail because nobody looked at them again. Batteries leak, water sits past its replacement date, medicines expire, and kids outgrow the spare clothes. Ready.gov's kit guidance says to replace expired items as needed and to rethink your needs every year as your family changes. A twice-a-year habit tied to the clock change makes that automatic.
The idea isn't new. Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs have run the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program for about 30 years. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's smoke alarm guide also suggests replacing smoke alarm batteries when you reset clocks in the fall or spring. We're just stretching the same habit to cover the rest of your preps.
One note on timing. According to timeanddate.com, most of Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time and won't change its clocks. If that's you, pick any fixed date, like the first Sunday in November, and keep the habit anyway.
Before You Start: Gather These
Set yourself up so you don't stop halfway through to hunt for things:
A pen and a roll of masking tape or labels for writing dates
Fresh batteries in the sizes your alarms, flashlights and radio use (check the devices first)
A step stool for ceiling alarms
A box or bag for expired items to dispose of
Your phone, to set calendar reminders as you go
Now work through the list room by room. Each section below is a short checklist plus the reasons behind it.
1. Smoke Alarms: Test, Check Batteries, Check the Date
Smoke alarms are the most important item on this list. The NFPA's smoke alarm safety tip sheet reports that roughly 3 out of 5 home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Press the test button on every alarm and listen for the loud beep.
Replace batteries in alarms that use replaceable batteries. The NFPA says these need a new battery at least once a year.
If an alarm has a sealed 10-year battery, don't try to open it. Just test it. If it chirps for low battery, the NFPA says to replace the whole alarm.
Check the manufacture date on the back of each alarm. The NFPA says to replace all smoke alarms 10 years after that date, and combination smoke and CO alarms after 7 to 10 years.
Make sure you have alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level, including the basement.
What the sounds mean
The NFPA explains that three loud beeps in a row means smoke or fire: get out, call 911 and stay out. A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low. If it keeps chirping after you change the battery, the alarm has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced. Use only the battery type the manufacturer lists on the alarm.
The clock change is your twice-a-year deep check, but the NFPA and CPSC both say to test smoke alarms once a month. Set a recurring reminder on your phone while you're on the step stool.
2. Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Same Day, Same Routine
Fall is when furnaces, fireplaces and gas heaters come back on, so this one matters right now. The CDC recommends installing battery-operated or battery-backup CO detectors near every sleeping area. It says to check the batteries when you change your clocks each spring and fall, and to replace the detector following the manufacturer's instructions or every 5 years.
Test each CO alarm and replace batteries if it uses replaceable ones.
Check the date on the back and replace old units per the manufacturer.
Confirm there's a CO alarm near every sleeping area.
Book a yearly service for your furnace, water heater and other fuel-burning appliances. The CDC recommends a qualified technician check them every year.
If a CO alarm goes off: the CDC says to leave your home right away and call 911. Get medical help quickly if anyone feels dizzy, light-headed or nauseous. Never run a generator, grill or camp stove indoors or in a garage. For more on staying safe and warm when the power is out, see our guide to building a power outage kit that works at home.
Cooking during an outage? How to Cook Without Power: 7 Safe Outage Methods explains which stoves and grills are safe to use, and where.
3. Flashlights, Headlamps and Spare Batteries
A flashlight with dead or leaking batteries is a common kit failure. Alkaline batteries can leak inside a device that sits unused. Duracell's battery guidance warns against leaving batteries in a device you won't use for several months, because many devices never fully power off. Energizer's battery care tips say to store batteries in a cool, dry place at room temperature.
Turn on every flashlight, headlamp and lantern in your kits, car and nightstands.
Open the battery compartments. Look for white crust, discoloration or swelling.
If you find leakage, wear gloves, remove the batteries and clean the contacts before putting in new ones.
Replace all the batteries in a device at the same time. Don't mix old and new, or different brands or types.
For long-term kit storage, keep spare batteries in their original packaging next to the light rather than inside it.
Check the "use by" date on your spare battery packs and swap out old ones.
Charge any rechargeable lights, power banks and phone backup batteries to full.
A light for every person
When the power goes out at night, everyone in the house needs their own light. A headlamp is the most useful option because it keeps both hands free for cooking, first aid or carrying a child. The Rothco Cree LED Headlamp is an affordable way to put one in every kit and car. For a main household light, the Streamlight ProTac HP-X USB Flashlight is rated at 800 lumens and runs on a USB-C rechargeable battery or two CR123A batteries. Having two power options is a real advantage when you can't recharge. If you choose a rechargeable light, add "top off the charge" to your clock-change routine.
Replacing a light? See Best Flashlight for Emergencies: How to Choose One.
4. Water: Rotate What You Filled Yourself
Ready.gov recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. Its rotation rule is simple: water that wasn't commercially bottled should be replaced every six months. The spring and fall clock changes line up with that schedule exactly.
Empty and refill any containers you filled yourself. Use the old water on plants or for cleaning.
Write today's date on each refilled container.
For store-bought bottled water, keep it sealed in its original container and follow the date on the label.
Check containers for cracks or leaks, and move them away from heat, sunlight, gasoline, paint and chemicals.
Recount your supply if your household changed this year (new baby, new pet, a relative moving in).
Check the expiration date on water treatment tablets in your go-bags.
If you need to recalculate how much to keep on hand, our guide on how much water to store for a family emergency walks through the math. Tablets like Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets are a compact backup for treating water you find. They don't replace stored water, and they're only useful if they're still in date, so check the bottle.
5. Food: Check Dates, Eat and Replace
Food is the easiest part of your kit to rotate, because you can eat it. Ready.gov recommends keeping canned food in a cool, dry place and boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
Pull every item out of your food bin and sort by date. Move the oldest to the front.
Eat items that are close to their date this month, and add replacements to your grocery list.
Throw out any cans that are dented, rusted or swollen. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says to discard them.
Make sure there's a manual can opener in the bin.
Check for pests, moisture and torn packaging.
Check baby formula carefully. It is the one food where the date is a hard rule.
What food dates really mean
The USDA explains that, except for infant formula, "Best if Used By" and similar dates are about quality, not safety. Food that's been stored properly is generally still safe after the date until it shows signs of spoilage, such as an off smell, flavor or texture. If something has spoiled, don't eat it. The USDA also notes that high-acid canned foods like tomatoes and fruit keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months, and low-acid canned foods like meats and vegetables keep for two to five years. If a can is past its date but looks perfect, it's a good candidate to eat soon rather than toss. Do not buy or use infant formula after its "Use-By" date.
For go-bags and car kits, look at compact rations too. The Datrex 2400 Calorie Emergency Food Ration holds 12 portioned bars with 2,400 calories in total in a vacuum-sealed pack. Check the date printed on each pack in your bags while you're at it. If you're building a deeper pantry, see our guide to long-term emergency food storage that works.
6. First Aid Kit and Medications
First aid kits quietly expire. Ointments dry out, adhesive bandages lose their stick, and over-the-counter medicines pass their dates.
Open every first aid kit (home, car, go-bags) and check dates on medicines, ointments and wipes.
Restock anything you used this year, especially bandages and pain relievers.
Make sure prescription glasses, contact lens solution and a written list of each person's medicines and doses are in your kit.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to keep a small extra supply of daily prescriptions on hand.
Get rid of expired medicines the safe way.
The FDA says the best way to dispose of most expired or unused medicines is a drug take-back location or a prepaid mail-back envelope. Many pharmacies have drop-off kiosks. If take-back isn't available, the FDA says to mix most medicines with something unappealing, like used coffee grounds or cat litter, seal them in a bag or container, and put it in the household trash. Only flush medicines that are on the FDA's flush list. Scratch out personal information on the bottles before you throw them away.
If you're starting fresh or your old kit is falling apart, the Rothco General Purpose First Aid Kit packs more than 60 supplies in a gasket-sealed hard case that keeps out water and dirt. It's a good fit for a car or a go-bag. This post is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional about your family's specific medical needs.
To check every item in your kit, use our First Aid Kit Checklist.
7. Clothes, Blankets and Winter Gear
You probably packed your kit in a different season, or before your kids grew.
Swap summer clothes in your go-bags for warm layers, wool socks and a hat.
Check that each person has a complete change of clothes that still fits, plus sturdy shoes.
Add a warm blanket or sleeping bag for each person, as Ready.gov recommends.
Put a warm layer, gloves and a blanket in each car for winter.
For a full breakdown of what to wear when it's cold and the heat is out, read our guide on how to layer for a cold-weather emergency.
Babies and toddlers outgrow kit clothes fastest. Our Baby Emergency Kit Checklist covers what to pack for little ones.
8. Documents, Cash and Your Family Plan
The last part of the checklist doesn't need any gear, just 15 minutes at the kitchen table.
Update the emergency contact list in your kit and on every family member's phone.
Check that copies of IDs, insurance policies and important records are current and stored in a waterproof container or saved electronically, as Ready.gov suggests.
Put some small bills in your kit, since card readers and ATMs may not work in an outage.
Review your meeting spot and practice your home fire escape plan. The CPSC recommends two ways out of every room and a set meeting place outside.
Check fire extinguishers: make sure they're easy to reach and that the pressure gauge, if there is one, is in the green zone.
Write today's date on a note inside each kit, so next spring you'll know when it was last checked.
While you update contacts, add a few neighbors too. Our Neighborhood Emergency Communication Plan shows how. Not sure how many days your kit should cover? See how many days of emergency supplies governments recommend.
Checking a kit for an older parent or neighbor? Use our Emergency Kit for Seniors checklist. If the water or sewer stops working, How to Make an Emergency Toilet shows the 2-bucket method.
The Printable Daylight Saving Time Checklist
Print this section or screenshot it, and tick off each line every time the clocks change:
Test every smoke alarm and replace batteries if replaceable
Check smoke alarm dates (replace at 10 years)
Test every CO alarm, check batteries and dates
Book furnace and fuel-burning appliance service
Test all flashlights and headlamps, check for battery leaks
Replace old spare batteries, charge rechargeables and power banks
Empty and refill self-filled water, label with today's date
Check water tablet dates
Sort food by date, eat what's close, toss damaged cans
Check first aid kits and medicine dates, safely dispose of expired ones
Swap go-bag clothes for winter layers
Update contacts, documents and cash
Practice the fire escape plan
Write today's date in each kit and set a reminder for March
FAQ
When do the clocks change next?
Daylight saving time ended at 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 1, 2026. It starts again at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks spring forward one hour, and ends on Sunday, November 7, 2027. Most of Arizona doesn't change its clocks.
Do I need to change batteries in a 10-year sealed smoke alarm?
No. The NFPA says alarms with non-replaceable 10-year batteries don't need new batteries, but you should still test them monthly. If one chirps for a low battery, replace the entire alarm.
How often should I rotate stored water?
Ready.gov says water you stored yourself should be replaced every six months. Commercially bottled water should stay sealed in its original container, and you can follow the date on the label. The two clock changes each year make an easy reminder.
Is food safe after the "Best if Used By" date?
According to the USDA, these dates are about quality, not safety, for every food except infant formula. Properly stored food should be safe until it shows signs of spoilage. Throw out dented, rusted or swollen cans, and never use infant formula past its "Use-By" date.
Should I store batteries inside my emergency flashlight?
For a light you'll use often, keeping batteries in it is fine if you check it regularly. For a kit that sits for months, battery makers like Duracell recommend removing batteries to prevent leaks. Store them in their original packaging right next to the light.
Make It a Habit
You don't need to overhaul your preps every weekend. Two dates a year, when the clocks change, keep a kit you already have ready to use. Do the checklist every time the clocks change. The next change is Sunday, March 14, 2027, so set a reminder now, and you'll know your alarms work, your lights turn on and your food and water are fresh.
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