Does a home fire extinguisher ever lose its effectiveness? I received a fire extinguisher 10 years ago as a housewarming gift. I thought that was a great idea and placed it in the kitchen closet. I just replaced my smoke detector because there is a new law in my town that requires carbon monoxide detectors in each residence. So, I bought a combination smoke and CO unit. Solved two problems at once, I wasn't sure how long ago the previous owner put up that smoke detector - and, I needed a CO detector anyway. But there's still a fire extinguisher in my closet that's not getting any newer. I can't find any sort of expiration date on the package.