Reader\'s Digest Canada - 05.2020

illustration by clayton hanmer

What You

Should Know

About Laundry

1

Go scent-free. A 2011

study found that fra-

granced products cause

dryer vents to emit

seven compounds that

contain hazardous air

pollutants and two that

are carcinogenic.

2

Even “unscented”

brands may not be

what they purport to be.

“Unscented detergents

can still contain fra-

grances to mask chem-

ical smells,” says Lindsay

Coulter, the David

Suzuki Foundation’s

green-living expert.

3

If you want to avoid

mystery ingredients,

make your own deter-

gent. The David Suzuki

Foundation recom-

mends using ½ cup per

load of a mixture of two

teaspoons of salt, two

tablespoons of baking

soda, two tablespoons of

liquid Castile soap and

one litre of hot water.

4

Don’t scent home-

made detergent

with essential oils.

“Some dryers heat up

to about 57 C, which is

BY Anna-Kaisa Walker

reader’s digest

16 may 2020

13 THINGS