Conversions and product equivalents

Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and pretty much the rest of the world (with a few exceptions) use the metric…

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Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and pretty much the rest of the world (with a few exceptions) use the metric system. So let’s dive right in to what those numbers mean in the Imperial system!

Wash temperatures

In terms of laundry,

  • Cold = 30°C = 86°F
  • ✔ Warm = 40°C = 104°F
  • ✔ Hot = 60°C = 140°F
  • Sanitize = 90/95°C = 194/203°F

For washing cloth diapers, you always want to aim for warm to hot washes, as this ensures the best results long term.

If you have a top loader, measure the water with a meat/candy thermometer in your washing machine as it is filling up or after it is filled. Oftentimes, you need to set your dial to “Hot” to even achieve a warm (i.e. 104°F) wash. Bucket in hot tap water to raise the wash temp if necessary, or turn the cold inlet valve down when the washer is filling up.

North American laundry products

Laundry boosters (oxygen bleach)

One of the most frequently asked questions is what our equivalent to Sard/Napisan/Vanish. The answer is OxiClean! It is basically a laundry booster that helps with stain removal. Biz is another good option too, but I have found OxiClean to produce whiter whites.

I haven’t seen many supermarket’s own brand boosters. Kroger has one that I tried that was thoroughly unimpressive. The crystals don’t dissolve properly and I didn’t notice any difference in stain removal when I added it to my laundry.

Detergents

The best performing mainstream detergent here is Tide Original (powder or liquid). Their powder is said to work effectively in water hardness levels up to 300ppm. Tide Free & Gentle is a good sensitive option too.

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For a more budget-friendly detergent, there is “Mexican” Ariel that is suitable only for non-HE, traditional top loaders. It is particularly good for harder water areas too.

We are in the process of testing North American detergents, and have started a North American detergent index!

Stain removers

Sard soap is popular in Australia and commonly mentioned in Clean Cloth Nappies. It is laundry bar soap, so the equivalent here is Fels Naptha and Zote. However, you can use literally any bar soap (saponified triglycerides) from the store, e.g. Dial, Dove, Ivory, Zest, etc. etc.

Shout stain remover spray is another product you can use to pre-treat stains.