Doncaster Hygiene Bank: Families having to choose between 'paying their bills or washing'
We've been speaking to Serena Van Der Meulen from the organisation
A new report from The Hygiene Bank found that hygiene poverty affects an estimated 4.2 million adults in the UK (8% of the population), up from 3.1 million in 2022.
The groups found to be most affected are: 21% of people with a serious disability or long-term health condition, 18% of those from lower-income households, 15% of younger people (18-24 year olds), 12% of those from an ethnic minority background, 11% of adults who have children living with them.
Considering the impact of the cost of living, four in five (80%) said that it has had a negative impact on their ability to afford basic toiletries.
Among those being affected by hygiene poverty, the vast majority (88%) reported it has had a negative impact on their life, such as their mental health (68%), with 56% saying it has left them feeling anxious or depressed, and the same proportion also said they have felt ashamed or embarrassed.
Serena Van Der Meulen is from the Hygiene Bank in Doncaster:
"If you go to a job interview, and you haven't been able to clean your teeth for a week, or you haven't been able to afford a shower for a week, the chances are you either won't go to the interview at all, or you're not going to be confident at all.
"That's the impact, it's so much more than not being able to have a wash.
"What we've seen recently is the need for support coming from more affluent areas, where people may've lost their jobs or can't afford their current mortgage rate.
"Suddenly, these people may have to decide between either paying the bills or washing.
"What we are seeing is more teenagers needing products through schools.
"Last year, we supported around 8,000 teenage school children, which's an extremely high number in a city of our size.
"Social exclusion amongst younger people is happening more often because of hygiene poverty too.
"Perhaps some of these younger people won't mix with their peers or go to a friend's house because they've got a head full of lice, for example, which's something we hear a lot."