Nearly a fifth of UK adults said their household had gone without hygiene products such as toilet roll and deodorant, according to a new survey. Charities warned the findings should serve as “a wake-up call”.
The poll for charities The Hygiene Bank and In Kind Direct found 43% of adults who are in hygiene poverty also admitted avoiding friends or family as they could not afford basic hygiene items. Some 41% had been affected for the first time this year.
Cost of living crisis drives rise in hygiene poverty
Their report said: “As the cost of living crisis intensifies, more people are going without items we often take for granted, like soap, toilet rolls and deodorant.”
They warned that while younger adults, parents, renters and low-income families were all disproportionately affected, the new face of hygiene poverty includes working families. Those on higher wages who were once financially stable now describe themselves as “unexpectedly unable to afford essential hygiene products”.
Survey findings on skipped products
The online survey of 3,042 adults, conducted by Savanta in early June, found that of the 18% in hygiene poverty in the previous six months, 47% were most likely to skip buying toilet roll. It was followed by deodorant (43%), shampoo (39%), toothpaste (34%), and laundry and cleaning products (38%). Some 28% reported going without period products.
Michael Gidney, chief executive of In Kind Direct, which distributes products to charities across its network, said the findings should serve as a wake-up call. He added: “In our 30 years’ experience, we’re seeing that hygiene poverty is no longer confined to the households you might expect. One family told us that, even with two full-time incomes, they’re in overdraft and struggling.”
Charities and government respond
Ruth Brock, chief executive of The Hygiene Bank, which delivers essential hygiene and personal care products to people in need, said: “Hygiene poverty is wrecking lives today and damaging life chances and opportunities for tomorrow. This is simply wrong.”
Julie-Anne Webb, manager at St Vincent’s in Bradford, West Yorks, was seen packing hygiene products ahead of National Hygiene Week. This week’s event, organised by The Hygiene Bank, aims to raise awareness about hygiene poverty.
A government spokesman said: “We’re determined to turn the tide on poverty, and our recent statistics show that effort is making a difference, with household incomes up 5% in real terms.”
