Hygiene products
(Picture: Getty Images)Parents are sacrificing hygiene essentials to ensure their children do not go without as they struggle to cope with rising prices, a charity has warned.
In Kind Direct, a UK-based charity which tackles poverty, said they are seeing people make “tough decisions” about whether to buy food or soap.
Chief executive Rosanne Gray said: “We hear of families sharing toothbrushes, making their own period products and taking loo roll from local schools or cafes.
“Struggling to afford the basics creates added stress for parents and really impacts confidence and self-esteem.
“People are having to make really tough decisions whether to buy food or soap.”
The charity warned the problem may worsen during the school holidays, when children spend more time at home, as families grapple with the cost of living crisis.
They added hygiene poverty is the second greatest concern to families after food poverty.
Two in five people (36.8 per cent) say they are now having sleepless nights over whether they can provide essentials such as hygiene products and food for their children, according to a study in partnership with Andrex.
Nearly a quarter of parents (23 per cent) in the survey said they have sacrificed their own hygiene essentials to ensure their children do not go without.
Wet wipes, face wash, hand wash, deodorant and toilet roll are among the products being forgone, the survey of 2,011 people found.
To help overcome growing hygiene poverty, Andrex has donated one million toilet tissue rolls to In Kind Direct to distribute across the UK.
In Kind Direct supports thousands of charitable organisations with donated hygiene products, including many which support families on a low-income.
Ms Gray added: “Everyone deserves the right to feel clean and well. We want everyone to have access to the essential hygiene products they need for themselves and their families, enabling them to thrive.”
