smol's Suds in Schools

Aim

Help us create free-to-use school laundrettes so children living in hygiene poverty can access clean clothes via smol's Suds in Schools.

Clean clothes should NOT be a barrier to education.

But for too many UK children, hygiene poverty means missing school, bullying, and isolation.

Why hygiene poverty matters

Hygiene poverty is a lack of access to essentials, like laundry detergent, deodorant or soap.

And it’s holding kids back.

Around 1 in 5 schoolchildren are now affected by hygiene poverty, with almost a third of teachers seeing it every day in their classrooms.

When a child doesn't have clean clothes, the impact is deep and wide:

And teachers? They’re having to step in. With 90% of UK schools now offering some kind of hygiene support, even though it’s not their job to.

Suds in Schools: our way to help

We launched Suds in Schools in 2021 with a simple idea: install mini-laundrettes in schools across the UK to give pupils access to clean clothes. No shame, no cost, no questions asked.

Each set-up includes a washing machine and free smol laundry capsules for as long as needed. So far, we’ve put machines in over 100 schools. Access to clean clothes can make a HUGE difference to a child’s day-to-day school life.  

Why we need more

This isn’t a one-school, one-term problem. It’s a growing crisis.

• 84% of teachers say children in hygiene poverty are more likely to miss school
• 91% believe the effects will last into adulthood.

There are so many more schools waiting for help. And any support you can give means we can say yes.

How you can help

• Donate whatever you can. Every £1 goes directly towards funding and installing new school machines. (smol continues to supply detergent for free)
• Nominate a school you know that could benefit from a Suds in Schools site
• Share this Crowdfunder with friends to help end the silence around hygiene poverty
• Already a smol customer? Add Donate a Wash to your plan

Let’s not let any more children be marked absent because of dirty laundry. Please help us install more Suds in Schools sites today.

Want to learn more about The Hygiene Bank and the work we do at smol to help fight hygiene poverty? Read on here.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made