What Is Hygiene Insecurity?
Millions of families facing food insecurity also face hygiene insecurity, yet hygiene products aren’t covered by SNAP.
Food need and hygiene insecurity are closely intertwined. This means basics like soap, deodorant, and toothpaste are often out of reach and when someone is unable to afford food, hygiene becomes even more inaccessible.
Hygiene Insecurity, also widely known as “hygiene poverty”, is the inability to afford everyday hygiene products, such as shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, grooming products, soap, and more. It’s a growing public health crisis.
Why It Matters
For people and families living on limited incomes, everyday hygiene products are often unaffordable or inaccessible, yet they’re still not covered by assistance programs. As a result, people may go without oral care, clean clothes, or period supplies, which can have a profound impact on their physical health, emotional well-being, feelings of dignity, and their ability to reach goals.
Hygiene Insecurity impacts one in four people.
According to a recent study, 63% of parents living with limited income and therefore limited access to hygiene essentials will prioritize only washing their children’s clothes, skipping their own, to help them attend school with confidence. On the other side, an increasing number of teachers have reported children being bullied or missing school due to hygiene related reasons.
The “Heat, Eat, or Health” Dilemma
Nearly 25% of families, parents and individuals often face impossible choices every day: Can I afford utilities, groceries, or essential hygiene supplies this week?
Known as the “heat, eat, or health” dilemma, this struggle leads to having to make impossible decisions about what necessity you will go without. It leads to children missing school and people missing out on employment opportunities. They experience rising mental health challenges, especially anxiety and depression, which is linked to shame, stigma, and isolation.
The Impact of Hygiene Insecurity
Missed work and school
Social exclusion and bullying
Poor physical health and other hygiene-related illness, including skin infections and dental decay
Anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem
Barriers to employment and housing
Impacts on child development
Hygiene Insecurity is About Access
No one should have to face judgment or loss of opportunity because they can’t afford soap or deodorant. And yet, many do. Hygiene insecurity disproportionately impacts people experiencing poverty, homelessness, or displacement and it often goes unseen and unspoken.
How Families Cope Without Hygiene Products
When families can’t access basic household goods, they’re forced to make difficult choices. These are some of the most common strategies used:
Top Coping Strategies ¹
96% of households had to substitute brands with cheaper or lower-quality alternatives.
88% tried to make products last longer by using less, stretching every bottle or roll.
69% had to skip washing dishes or doing laundry to conserve supplies.
63% borrowed detergent from others or could only afford to wash their children's clothes, not their own.
55% skipped shampooing.
48% had to delay changing diapers, risking rashes and health concerns.
43% reused paper towels rather than throw them away.
37% brushed teeth without toothpaste.
33% bathed without soap.
32% reused diapers out of necessity.
22% cleaned dishes with water only, without soap or detergent.
20% washed clothes with water only, unable to access proper laundry supplies.
These numbers reveal just how common and invisible hygiene insecurity is. Families are doing everything they can by cutting back, sharing, or going without just to stay hygenic and show up. These are not minor inconveniences. They’re health risks that no one should have to face.
Resources & Further Reading
Join the Hygiene Bank Association to access live & on-demand trainings as well as our library of resources.
¹ Feeding America, In Short Supply: Executive Summary – How Households Cope with Household Product Insecurity, 2024. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/in-short-supply/in-short-supply-executive.pdf