15 Jul 2025
School should be a place to learn, play, and grow. Not somewhere you’re singled out for having a uniform that needs to be washed, yet hasn’t been.
But for thousands of children across the UK, this is a daily reality because hygiene poverty is all around. It’s being too afraid to put your hand up in class because you’re worried about how you smell. It’s missing school because your uniform isn’t clean. It’s bullying in the corridor. It’s head lice that you can’t treat. It’s being too embarrassed to join in with PE.
Our work with the incredible The Hygiene Bank charity really opened our eyes to the issue.
suds in schools.
In 2021, we decided we must do something more.
So we started installing washing machines in schools.
It began with one machine. Then a second. And we added a steady supply of free smol laundry capsules. And now? Over 100 schools across the UK have a Suds in Schools washing machine all set up and running, all ready to wash uniforms, PE kits and even full loads for families who need the support.
the growing problem.
Recent research we have carried out in conjunction with The Hygiene Bank shows that:
- 95% of school staff have seen hygiene poverty in their classrooms in the past year.
- More than 1 in 4 have seen it every week.
- And 80% say the problem is getting worse.
Teachers aren’t just seeing unwashed uniforms. They’re seeing the knock-on effects, every single day. In our survey:
- 51% of teachers said they’ve seen pupils suffer low self-esteem as a result.
- 41% have seen children being bullied.
- Over one third have seen pupils isolated, withdrawing from lessons, or skipping PE because of it.
- And 28% have seen children miss school days due to hygiene poverty.
countrywide cost.
These aren’t isolated cases. They’re happening all over the country. And they’re piling pressure on already overstretched teachers, who told us they feel “powerless”, “heartbroken” and “angry” as they watch pupils suffer through something that should never be a barrier to learning.
Teachers aren’t just watching this happen, they’re spending their own money to help.
Our research found teachers are personally spending up to £50 a year on hygiene basics like soap, laundry detergent, and even uniforms. In fact, the total spent by staff across the UK adds up to over £40 million.
making a difference.
Suds in Schools was made for real change, for real families. And here’s something we discovered.
These machines don’t just do laundry. They remove the invisible barriers that stop children from learning, from joining in, and from feeling confident in who they are. Here’s what one teacher told us:
“In the current living crisis, this amazing gesture has really eased the pressures that our families are facing. They have also enabled us to create our own school uniform hub, where fresh clean school uniform is available to children for free at any time they may need it. We feel that these simple things have had such a positive impact on our families and this means happy children, who can come to school and focus on their learning.”
Another headteacher added:
"The Suds in Schools campaign has had a truly wonderful impact. We started off just washing PE kits and uniforms, but now families bring in whole loads to be washed at school. It’s a truly unique way to lift families out of hygiene poverty and remove barriers for children to thrive."
the impact.
Because Suds in Schools brings so much more than clean clothes.
- It’s dignity. So children don’t have to hide in bathrooms or sit alone at lunch.
- There’s more confidence. Kids can raise their hands, run at sports day, and feel part of the group.
- It brings relief. For parents and carers struggling to choose between heating the house or doing the washing.
- No child should have to miss out on school (or childhood) because they can’t access hygiene products.
so, what’s next?
We want to keep growing the Suds in Schools programme. And we’ll keep using our voice, and our research, to call for real systemic change.
97% of school staff say hygiene poverty should be on the government’s agenda. So we’ll keep pushing alongside The Hygiene Bank charity, until it is.
In the meantime, we’ll keep sending out laundry capsules and setting up washing machines with the knowledge that clean clothes changes lives.
You know the saying… smol things make a big difference.