FUTURE OF CLEANING 2026 The mission to end hygiene poverty

DRIVEN BY a passionate community of more than 600 volunteers, we work, day in and day out,to provide people with the basic hygiene essentials people need. From shampoo, soap and toothpaste to deodorant and period products, we support over 60,000 people every single week. We do this through a trusted network of more than ,600 community partners - including schools, family hubs, food banks, domestic abuse refuges and homeless shelters -ensuring help reaches people where and when they need it most.

Since our creation in 2019, we have distributed over 2,000 tonnes of hygiene products to people facing hardship. But our impact is about far more than numbers. It’s about restoring confidence, dignity and opportunity - one bar of soap at a time.

Hygiene poverty

Hygiene poverty is more than not being able to afford everyday basics or cleanliness; it’s not even mental and physical wellbeing, hygiene poverty blocks opportunities and limits life chances. In the past 12 months, 8.7 million adults in the UK have missed work or a job interview because of hygiene poverty and 1 in 10 children have skipped school - often through fear of bullying. Currently, hygiene poverty affects an estimated three in ten low-income households. 

Behind these statistics are families making impossible choices; people missing work because they can’t shower; children missing school because they don’t have clean uniforms; and families quietly struggling to maintain hope. Parents stretch one bottle of shampoo between several children; young people skip school because they cannot keep clean; workers turn down shifts for fear of embarrassment; retired people are not leaving the house because they are embarrassed by the way they smell. The absence of something as simple as soap or deodorant can quickly erode a person’s ability to work, study or engage socially. 

Claire knows this reality too well. A single mum from Hastings, she works two jobs to afford the nursery fees for her daughter, Sarah.  “It’s awful to have to choose between heating your home, feeding your kid and keeping yourself clean and healthy.​ I have to put my own needs behind my child’s, and I always pay my bills, but it leaves me with nothing”. Claire is now receiving support from the local foodbank, where she collects food and hygiene items parcels on a weekly basis. Not only has this eased the burden to make ends meet, but she’s now able to afford the good nappy cream for Sarah, and she even got herself a present this last Christmas. 

Despite the growing public recognition of food and fuel poverty, there are 20 million people in the UK who do not yet know what hygiene poverty is. The Hygiene Bank is the only UK charity dedicated to exclusively tackling hygiene poverty at a national scale. Because of our unique infrastructure and trusted brand, it is often the first organisation called when councils or schools identify gaps in provision. Our network is the final mile of the supply chain, transforming public and corporate donations into direct relief for households that would otherwise fall through the cracks.

“Without a doubt, the hygiene products supplied by The Hygiene Bank are gratefully received. Many tell us that they do not have the spare income to purchase hygiene products such as body lotions, deodorant, hair conditioner and hand cream, and these products are considered luxuries. We have so many lovely comments about how these products lift their spirits and give them a boost.”  says Charlie, founder of the Rustington Pantry. They currently support 100 families per week with fresh vegetables, frozen meals, dried staple food and hygiene products. In the past 12 months, they have provided over 9,000 parcels with basic hygiene items to those who couldn’t afford the essentials in the local area. The demand for their services keeps increasing. They don’t want to turn anyone down. Thankfully, The Hygiene Bank is able to increase the number of basic hygiene items they need to meet demand.

Support and partnerships

It is thanks to our brand and corporate partners’ support that we are able to support more than 1,600 community organisations like Rustington Pantry, across the UK – from Unilever’s You Buy We Donate activation with Boots, which generated over 300,000 products donated, to BCHS’ product donation from their January employee event, resulting in nearly 10 pallets of product. These products enabled us to continue to support those facing crisis in communities across the UK.

Beyond product donations, our partnerships are rooted in shared values, encompassing employee volunteering, community engagement, advocacy and long-term collaboration - all working towards a single goal: Ending hygiene poverty for good.

In 2025, partner engagement reached new heights. From Cleanology’s fourth annual fundraising event to BCHS’ golf day and Metsä Tissue’s customer event, organisations across the sector stepped up in meaningful ways. We were also delighted to receive generous support from Western Business Media and Cleaning Matters magazine through the Cleaning Excellence Awards. Partners also helped raise vital awareness amongst their customers too, through impactful initiatives such as smol’s donate-a-wash scheme and method’s December activation.

We brought everyone together during National Hygiene Week (6th – 12th October), where we shone a light on hygiene poverty by lighting up 50 local landmarks across the UK, from the Blackpool Tower to Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the Spinnaker Tower or Camera Obscura in Edinburgh. The campaign saw volunteers, community partners, our trustees, brands and corporates, peer organisations and many others coming together to raise awareness of this silent crisis. The campaign generated widespread regional and local media coverage, raising awareness of this hidden crisis while celebrating the vital work of volunteers in communities across the country.

As demand continues to rise, we remain determined to end hygiene poverty. Last April, we launched a petition to remove VAT on soap; currently, soap and other essential hygiene products are subject to a 20% VAT rate. Yet, luxury items like lobsters or art are tax-free. Taxing soap disproportionately affects low-income individuals and families, making it harder for them to maintain basic hygiene and pushing them to make difficult choices between putting food on the table or staying clean. 

Hygiene poverty is solvable. But we cannot do it alone. This is why The Hygiene Bank and InKind Direct announce ‘The Beginning of the end’ coalition to end hygiene poverty. Together, we build the UK’s first-ever Roadmap to end hygiene poverty, rooted in evidence, lived experience, and partnerships with government, businesses, and communities. The coalition is open to sector brands, researchers, and peer organisations who want to be part of the collective effort to shape the roadmap, and to those with lived experience who want to shape the solutions and drive change. 

Looking to the future

In 2026, The Hygiene Bank will focus on reaching even more people who are being pushed into hygiene poverty as the cost-of-living crisis continues. We will expand our network of community partners in areas of highest deprivation, ensuring that hygiene essentials are available in places where support is most urgently needed. By strengthening our local infrastructure, we aim to support tens of thousands more people each week with the basics they need.

We will also build on our advocacy work, using data, lived experience and evidence from our national network to push for long-term, systemic change. Through the ‘Beginning of the End’ coalition, we will work with government, businesses and the voluntary sector to deliver practical solutions - from fairer taxation on essential hygiene products to improved access to hygiene provision in schools, healthcare and emergency settings.

Our ambition is clear: a future where no one has to choose between eating and staying clean. With the continued support of our partners, volunteers and supporters, we believe this future is possible - and within reach.

Ending hygiene poverty will take all of us. Whether you are an individual, a business, a policymaker or a community organisation, your support can help turn awareness into action. By standing with The Hygiene Bank, you are helping to ensure that no one is excluded from work, education or society simply because they cannot afford to stay clean. Together, we can restore dignity, unlock opportunity, and mark the beginning of the end of hygiene poverty in the UK.

Get involved

There are a number of ways organisations and individuals can support The Hygiene Bank’s mission. Businesses can demonstrate social impact by supporting our campaign to remove VAT on soap, donating surplus or unused hygiene products, or by partnering with us; we offer multiple levels of partnership to align with organisational goals, values and stage of growth -from Charity of The Year to community fundraising or volunteering days. Through partnerships, we can work together to deliver practical, measurable action towards ending hygiene poverty across the UK.

Members of the public can also donate their unused toiletries to those in need. Our website includes a map of the more than 1,200 drop-off points, including over 500 located in Boots stores. We also need volunteers to help us sort, pack and distribute hygiene essentials to those in need -or even start a new local hygiene bank to support your local community. People can also make financial donations to help us support our mission and end hygiene poverty, once and for all. 

Meri Jimenez is head of communications, fundraising and external engagement at The Hygiene Bank

For more information, visit thehygienebank.com