Having a clean home is as easy as buying the right products and getting started, right? Wrong! There can be many barriers, including physical, psychological or emotional. For some, the biggest challenge is financial, with families left with nothing to spend on cleaning as they’ve spent the last of their money feeding their children or paying their rent. The Clean & Tidy Home Show team is dedicated to finding solutions for all budgets, which is why we are delighted to be supporting The Hygiene Bank. We can’t wait to tell you about the amazing work they are doing to help combat hygiene poverty and highlight the difference they are making to families who find themselves struggling to buy the basics that many can take for granted.
The Hygiene Bank brings communities, businesses and thought leaders together to tackle hygiene poverty by giving access to products and being a voice for change. The Hygiene Bank has grown from a simple belief that everyone should be able to access what we need to keep clean. Feeling clean should not be a luxury or a privilege, yet many of us are living in poverty and can’t afford the basics. That’s why our network of projects exist, to give access to essential hygiene products to those who may otherwise go without. Each of our150 Hygiene Bank projects encourages the public and businesses to donate in date, unused products via our localised network of drop-off points.Manufacturers and retailers donate products as well. Products are collected, sorted, and distributed to a network of community partners –organisations such as charities, local authority services, and schools – who then redistribute to their service users who are experiencing hygiene poverty.
We recently commissioned a study that suggests 1 in 5 people in the UK know someone or a family member who has or is experiencing hygiene poverty. 37% of the 2033people surveyed said they were more aware of Hygiene Poverty as they have experienced it themselves in the past year. Before the pandemic poverty touched every stage of life from babies to pensioners with over 14 million people living in poverty in the UK. Now is our chance to collectively shape a future where everyone can access basic hygiene essentials - feeling clean should not be a luxury or a privilege for anyone.
Hygiene poverty is not being able to afford what we need to stay clean. Something many of us take for granted.The reality for those experiencing poverty is they may not be able to afford washing up liquid for their homes, nappies for their babies or new toothbrushes for everyone in the family so no one has to share.
Many people locked in poverty or those who find themselves in times of crisis often experience restricted options. This leaves them caught between being able to heat their home, pay their rent, buy food or keep clean. Hygiene poverty can be shaming, humiliating and excluding and can result in social isolation.
It can lead to a lack of confidence and can negatively affect good health and mental well-being which can impact early childhood development, learning, employability and social interaction.
The family mentioned below have given their permission for us to tell their story but have asked not to be identified, so we are calling the Mum J.
J and her family learnt to budget as best they could and by the end of the month they had just enough to get to and from work and feed the family. But then something unexpected happened. The car failed its MOT and needed expensive repairs. This put them into debt, they got behind in their rent and couldn’t climb out of what felt like a hopeless situation. As any mother would, J prioritised feeding her children at the expense of her own health and well-being and fell into sickness and depression. Thankfully, she went to her GP who referred her to the food bank.
The food bank in question is supported by regular donations from The Hygiene Bank. Therefore, in addition to groceries, J was given essential toiletries for the whole family including, shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tampons, deodorant, shaving gel and razors. She was even given washing powder.
The Food bank operations manager told us J was overwhelmed and cried with relief and shame. She admitted that the whole family had been washing their hair, their bodies and clothes in cheap washing up liquid. The same one that they used for the dishes. They cut the ends off tubes of toothpaste to eke out the last bits, her husband’s beard was a necessity and not a fashion choice and she herself was sometimes housebound when she had her period because she didn’t have enough money for tampons.
This situation is one that is happening all over the country. There are many reasons working families are finding themselves propelled into poverty; low wages, unexpected bills, high living costs, delays in benefit payments, illness and bereavement are just a few.
Those who don’t have the means to access household and personal hygiene products can beheld back from fully participating and contributing to society.
We hear all the time that we help relieve the financial pressure individuals and families face and recently we’ve helped many working poor families navigate the knock-on effects of the pandemic. We continue to support those who are working many jobs but, due to poor pay, lack of benefits and other key safety nets, they are unable to make ends meet. We know access to hygiene products can enable those of us who are struggling to take the necessary steps to move forward and overcome the barriers experienced when unable to keep clean.
Our vision is that one day everyone living in the UK will have access to essential hygiene products and we will no longer need to exist. Sadly, as the economic impact of the pandemic continues to be felt, we see the demand for our services increase as individuals and families are forced to make tough decisions between paying for basics such as food, utilities or keeping clean. Last year, we delivered over 363,000 kg of hygiene products to individuals and families pulled into poverty. Seven times what we distributed the year prior.
Our founder Lizzy Hall started the charity in 2018 to alleviate hygiene poverty, and we’ve since supported over 2,000 community partners (CPs), set up nearly850 drop off points, and distributed over 690,000 kg of hygiene products to those in need.
Our CPs offer our product donations as a supplement to their services. Giving to The Hygiene Bank is a simple way to support not just one, but hundreds of organisations. We received consistent feedback from our CPs about the importance of our work, reiterating how personal hygiene helps their clients feel more confident.
https://thehygienebank.com/who-we-are/what-is-hygiene-poverty/
Having a clean home is as easy as buying the right products and getting started, right? Wrong! There can be many barriers, including physical, psychological or emotional. For some, the biggest challenge is financial, with families left with nothing to spend on cleaning as they’ve spent the last of their money feeding their children or paying their rent. The Clean & Tidy Home Show team is dedicated to finding solutions for all budgets, which is why we are delighted to be supporting The Hygiene Bank. We can’t wait to tell you about the amazing work they are doing to help combat hygiene poverty and highlight the difference they are making to families who find themselves struggling to buy the basics that many can take for granted.
The Hygiene Bank brings communities, businesses and thought leaders together to tackle hygiene poverty by giving access to products and being a voice for change. The Hygiene Bank has grown from a simple belief that everyone should be able to access what we need to keep clean. Feeling clean should not be a luxury or a privilege, yet many of us are living in poverty and can’t afford the basics. That’s why our network of projects exist, to give access to essential hygiene products to those who may otherwise go without. Each of our150 Hygiene Bank projects encourages the public and businesses to donate in date, unused products via our localised network of drop-off points.Manufacturers and retailers donate products as well. Products are collected, sorted, and distributed to a network of community partners –organisations such as charities, local authority services, and schools – who then redistribute to their service users who are experiencing hygiene poverty.
We recently commissioned a study that suggests 1 in 5 people in the UK know someone or a family member who has or is experiencing hygiene poverty. 37% of the 2033people surveyed said they were more aware of Hygiene Poverty as they have experienced it themselves in the past year. Before the pandemic poverty touched every stage of life from babies to pensioners with over 14 million people living in poverty in the UK. Now is our chance to collectively shape a future where everyone can access basic hygiene essentials - feeling clean should not be a luxury or a privilege for anyone.
Hygiene poverty is not being able to afford what we need to stay clean. Something many of us take for granted.The reality for those experiencing poverty is they may not be able to afford washing up liquid for their homes, nappies for their babies or new toothbrushes for everyone in the family so no one has to share.
Many people locked in poverty or those who find themselves in times of crisis often experience restricted options. This leaves them caught between being able to heat their home, pay their rent, buy food or keep clean. Hygiene poverty can be shaming, humiliating and excluding and can result in social isolation.
It can lead to a lack of confidence and can negatively affect good health and mental well-being which can impact early childhood development, learning, employability and social interaction.
The family mentioned below have given their permission for us to tell their story but have asked not to be identified, so we are calling the Mum J.
J and her family learnt to budget as best they could and by the end of the month they had just enough to get to and from work and feed the family. But then something unexpected happened. The car failed its MOT and needed expensive repairs. This put them into debt, they got behind in their rent and couldn’t climb out of what felt like a hopeless situation. As any mother would, J prioritised feeding her children at the expense of her own health and well-being and fell into sickness and depression. Thankfully, she went to her GP who referred her to the food bank.
The food bank in question is supported by regular donations from The Hygiene Bank. Therefore, in addition to groceries, J was given essential toiletries for the whole family including, shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tampons, deodorant, shaving gel and razors. She was even given washing powder.
The Food bank operations manager told us J was overwhelmed and cried with relief and shame. She admitted that the whole family had been washing their hair, their bodies and clothes in cheap washing up liquid. The same one that they used for the dishes. They cut the ends off tubes of toothpaste to eke out the last bits, her husband’s beard was a necessity and not a fashion choice and she herself was sometimes housebound when she had her period because she didn’t have enough money for tampons.
This situation is one that is happening all over the country. There are many reasons working families are finding themselves propelled into poverty; low wages, unexpected bills, high living costs, delays in benefit payments, illness and bereavement are just a few.
Those who don’t have the means to access household and personal hygiene products can beheld back from fully participating and contributing to society.
We hear all the time that we help relieve the financial pressure individuals and families face and recently we’ve helped many working poor families navigate the knock-on effects of the pandemic. We continue to support those who are working many jobs but, due to poor pay, lack of benefits and other key safety nets, they are unable to make ends meet. We know access to hygiene products can enable those of us who are struggling to take the necessary steps to move forward and overcome the barriers experienced when unable to keep clean.
Our vision is that one day everyone living in the UK will have access to essential hygiene products and we will no longer need to exist. Sadly, as the economic impact of the pandemic continues to be felt, we see the demand for our services increase as individuals and families are forced to make tough decisions between paying for basics such as food, utilities or keeping clean. Last year, we delivered over 363,000 kg of hygiene products to individuals and families pulled into poverty. Seven times what we distributed the year prior.
Our founder Lizzy Hall started the charity in 2018 to alleviate hygiene poverty, and we’ve since supported over 2,000 community partners (CPs), set up nearly850 drop off points, and distributed over 690,000 kg of hygiene products to those in need.
Our CPs offer our product donations as a supplement to their services. Giving to The Hygiene Bank is a simple way to support not just one, but hundreds of organisations. We received consistent feedback from our CPs about the importance of our work, reiterating how personal hygiene helps their clients feel more confident.
https://thehygienebank.com/who-we-are/what-is-hygiene-poverty/
