Cleanology Raises Awareness of Hygiene Poverty for National Hygiene Week

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• Cleanology Raises Awareness of Hygiene Poverty for National Hygiene Week

14 September 2020

A commercial cleaning and FM company is working with The Hygiene Bank to raise awareness about hygiene poverty for National Hygiene Week.

With many of the 14 million people in the UK living in poverty forced to make tough choices between buying food, paying utilities, or keeping clean, The Hygiene Bank distributes personal hygiene and cleaning products to those in need.

To support this, Cleanology is organising collections from 300 of its clients. It is also encouraging its own staff to donate toiletries and hygiene products.

Cleanology Founder and CEO, Dominic Ponniah, said: “The statistics are shocking. One-fifth of the population is struggling with poverty, and two-thirds of those people are in work. For many, the choice between spending money on food and on daily cleaning items is a harsh reality which we feel compelled to tackle.”

 

“Figures show that one in three people living in the UK have had to go without hygiene essentials or cut down on purchases for financial reasons. To be in this situation in 2020 is just unacceptable.”

–Dominic Ponniah

CEO, Cleanology

 

National Hygiene Week

 

National Hygiene Week, the first awareness week of its kind, runs from 14–20 September and encourages people to take advantage of Buy-one-get-one-free offers, donating the additional product to one of The Hygiene Bank’s 766 drop off locations.

The Hygiene Bank Founder, Lizzy Hall, said: “We started the charity to alleviate hygiene poverty in the UK, not thinking how significant the issue would be during a pandemic. Now, we not only need to keep clean, but also need to have a constant supply of PPE. That is a costly ask for many of us. 

“Most of the issues we are addressing revolve around better financial security for all, not some. With that, we are very excited to host the first National Hygiene Week. During this week, we aim to raise awareness about the hidden crisis that is hygiene poverty in the UK.”

Ponniah added: “Figures show that one in three people living in the UK have had to go without hygiene essentials or cut down on purchases for financial reasons. To be in this situation in 2020 is just unacceptable. The greatest challenge is awareness. Over the coming week, we aim to collect a sizeable number of products from our clients and staff but, longer-term, we will continue to support The Hygiene Bank, with the goal of eradicating hygiene poverty altogether.”

In Kind Direct’s research shows that people will have stopped buying toiletries long before they approach a food bank. The impact on self-worth and on wider success in life can be huge – from losing a job opportunity due to dirty clothes, to children being bullied, or ill health caused by poor dental care. The Hygiene Bank manages a national donation framework that enables people to donate products locally, in much the same way as a food bank. 

Picture: A photograph of Dominic Ponniah, Founder and CEO, (centre) with staff from Cleanology

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 14 September 2020

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