Unhoused. Food insecure. Uninsured – these are some of the untenable conditions that arise from poverty. There is no proper way to describe the helplessness of people being unable to afford basic necessities like diapers, tampons, or laundry detergents, let alone having enough finances to manage their laundry in the US.
The problem is, not many bother to think about those who may have food on their plates but struggle to wear clean clothes. You may see protests for several agendas in the state but would have hardly ever heard about a protest rally planned to advocate the concerns about poor hygiene, especially laundry.
There are thousands of organizations in every part of the US helping families obtain health care, housing, and food but only a handful are there to work for the betterment of low-income people with alarming hygiene concerns.
Although programs for food and shelter do deserve attention, let’s not overlook the fact that clean clothes are a necessity as well, which must be taken into consideration.
America’s Unspoken Hygiene Crisis
A huge population of the US was already suffering from the rising cost of living just when the ever-high inflation hit them by the rock.
Do you know over 23.4 million people are unable to afford the cost of living this spring in the US?
While there are so many bigger issues to talk about, who would bother shedding light on the helplessness of those who can’t even afford their day-to-day laundry expenses?
Here’s another glimpse of the disturbing reality:
Due to the soaring inflation and pending recession, low-income parents are struggling to afford food for their kids. More than 37% of parents fail to afford healthcare expenses. Now imagine how they would be able to manage, afford and handle laundries- which is not even considered a topic of debate.
Many large families in the US and individuals wear unwashed clothes every day- go to work, attend school, and live through the day- suffering from the constant feeling of insecurities and uneasiness. The toll it has on their mental health is unimaginable.
Over 2.3 billion people in the US lack hygiene facilities like soap, detergents and at the very least clean water at their home. Sending kids in unclean uniforms has become the only option left for many low-income parents.
The Hygiene Poverty Cycle
The lack of hygienic products and facilities spread many severe diseases and even make people prone to chronic illnesses like HIV or diabetes. Skin allergies, rashes, and infections severely affect health.
When it comes to mental health, people with unclean clothes suffer from insecurities, lack of confidence, agitation, anger, frustration, and a lack of self-worth and self-respect.
It means that children who grow up in low-income families are struggling poorly with unhygienic practices every single day. They can not perform well in academics, and it’s shaping their future. Now let’s talk about adults; well, you can imagine what mental trauma they have to carry every day, yet they hide all their pain and try to fit in their communities- which is the oblivion of their struggles and problems.
This can end, here’s how:
Soap + Water = Lives Saved
One of the easiest yet graceful ways to let such people have the blessings of clean clothes is by first considering them human. We all need to work together and be more empathetic towards our fellow community members who do not have the privilege of wearing clean clothes.
We all must contribute through our donations so that organizations like Laundry Love can work for the betterment of all low-income families struggling with laundry problems.
How Laundry Love Stepped Up To Help
The Laundry Love is an initiative to help struggling families by assisting with their laundry needs. Partnering up with groups of laundromats, the organization organises events that low-income families can attend and clean their laundries free of cost.
Laundry Love is not just helping families meet their laundry needs but working to restore lost confidence and self-worth. It gives a chance to all the communities in the US to come together – help, and assist those in need. We strive to build a place where strangers become friends, hope is hustled, and the worth of every human being is celebrated and acknowledged.
