43% of parents go without basic hygiene or cleaning products because they can’t afford them.
One in four families surveyed have gone without toiletries because of financial difficulties.
Just last year, In Kind Direct highlighted the issue of hygiene poverty in the UK. With little money to cover the cost of everyday essentials, families are being forced to choose between buying food or personal hygiene and cleaning products.
A new study of both parents and primary school teachers released last week reveals teachers are stepping in and providing soap, shampoo and laundry products to pupils arriving at school unwashed. The survey which involved 2,000 parents of primary school children and 100 teachers across the UK was commissioned by the charity In Kind Direct, which receives donated goods from companies and distributes them to UK charities.
43% of parents who took part in the survey said they have had to go without basic hygiene or cleaning products because they can’t afford them, while almost one in five (18%) admit their child wears the same underwear at least two days in a row. Two-thirds (63%) of primary school teachers surveyed responded that they see children turning up in dirty clothes; almost half (47%) have children who come to school without having cleaned their teeth, and eight in 10 said they have seen an increase in the numbers of pupils coming to school unwashed. Schools are intervening to support struggling families who are having to choose between food or personal hygiene with more than half of primary teachers who took part in a parallel survey said they provide pupils with washing powder, soap and shampoo on a weekly basis because of family issues.
It’s natural that the first thing anyone thinks to donate to a foodbank is food, but toiletries and hygiene products are also extremely important.
Alongside our standard food parcel, we also try to provide the following essential non-food items to adults and children in crisis, helping them maintain dignity and feel human again.
This list sets out what we generally need the most:
- Toiletries – deodorant, toilet paper, shower gel, shaving gel, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand wipes
- Household items – laundry liquid detergent, laundry powder, washing up liquid
- Feminine products – sanitary towels and tampons
- Baby supplies – nappies, baby wipes and baby food.
If you’re thinking of donating to us you can always check our facebook page or website for what we currently need.