Do you ever get words confused? I’ll be honest to say I am really careful when using the words “prostrate” and “prostate”. Obviously I know the difference, but I definitely don’t want to confuse the two, especially when speaking in public. Maybe for you it’s “their” and “there” or “ascent” and “assent”. Whatever the case, it’s common to misspeak or misspell at times, and since this definitely shows up in the real estate community with the abbreviated version of “Carbon Monoxide detector”, I put together some memory aids to help us get it right.

Five Ways to Remember Carbon Monoxide is “CO” instead of “CO2”

1. Lungs: CO2 is “carbon dioxide” and it’s what comes out of your mouth when you breathe.
2. Soda: It would be a huge problem if carbonated drinks had “CO” (carbon monoxide) instead of “CO2” (carbon dioxide).
3. Killer Beer: CO2 is “carbon dioxide” and it’s used in beer to make it fizzy. If “CO” (carbon monoxide) was used instead, it could literally be “killer” beer. It’s better to drink figuratively “killer” beer.
4. Math: “O2” is pronounced “DIOXIDE” since there are “two” oxygen atoms. If there is only one “O” it’s called “MONOXIDE” since there is only one oxygen atom.
5. Carbon Footprint: Scientists remind us the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) has risen dramatically over the past century. Remember, scientists and Al Gore are not talking about “CO” (carbon monoxide) emissions.

I hope you enjoyed the post. This isn’t about being anal, but helpful. On a serious note, check out a previous article I wrote to view examples on where to install carbon monoxide detectors. If you didn’t know, as of July 1, 2011, it became state law in California for carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in certain single family dwellings.

Question: Any other suggestions for how to remember CO vs CO2?

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