What common household items can interfere with the sensitivity of smoke detectors?

The correct choice identifies cooking fumes and steam from showers as common household items that can interfere with the sensitivity of smoke detectors. This is particularly important because smoke detectors are designed to detect particulate matter and changes in the environment, such as smoke from a fire. Cooking fumes, especially from frying or grilling, produce smoke and vapor that can trigger false alarms. Similarly, steam from hot showers can introduce moisture into the air, which may also affect the detector’s ability to accurately identify smoke particles during a fire event.

While dust and dirt can indeed compromise the proper functioning of smoke detectors by obstructing their sensors, cooking fumes and steam are more immediate and common concerns that users encounter in their daily life, making this choice particularly relevant to household situations.

Other items listed, such as all cleaning products and furniture polish, can potentially create fumes or residues that might affect the detectors, but they are not as consistently encountered or impactful as cooking fumes and steam, making the latter the most appropriate selection in this context.