Clean Sleep Before Shark Tank
Clean Sleep is the brain child of male entrepreneur Michael Ingle of Dallas, Texas. Michael’s company Clean Sleep is a mobile mattress cleaning franchise. He has come up with a portable cleaning apparatus which is basically like a dry cleaner for mattresses. The whole operation occurs inside Michael’s special cleaning truck. A Clean Sleep technician will clean the mattress using UV light, steam, vacuums, infrared heat and ozone. Within just fifteen minutes after the cleaning process is complete, the mattress is dry and ready to go back onto the bed.
Michael is aware that he has competition out there but he believes that he has set himself apart from his competitors with the quick turn-around. A lot of companies that provide a service like this will not have the mattress ready to return to the customer for up to eight hours or more.
Michael began to focus on getting some hotels on board who would like to avail of his mobile mattress cleaning service. His hope is that he can get Clean Sleep all over the United States. To fulfill his dream, he needs some help. Michael decided to enter the Shark Tank in the hope that one of the sharks would provide the additional revenue needed as well as key business expertise and relationships to get Clean Sweep off its feet. Will Michael clean up in the shark tank and will one of the sharks be willing to bite?
Clean Sleep On Shark Tank
Michael enters the shark tank, introduces himself to the sharks and states that he is looking for a whopping $1.5 million investment in return for a fifteen per cent equity share in Clean Sleep. Michael goes on to claim that Clean Sleep will change the way you sleep at night. The one thing people have the closest contact with and pend the most time on, never gets clean. Michael goes on to show a slideshow of photographs showcasing that every mattress is like a giant sponge that can collect bacteria, dirt and human waste.
Michael then introduces the Clean Sleep mattress cleaning machine and states that it is 99% effective in removing bacteria, viruses, mold, dust mites and bed bugs from a mattress. He tells the shark that the whole process takes only fifteen minutes and leaves the mattress completely dry. The sharks are clearly intrigued and Lori asks how the Clean Sleep works. Michael explains that UV lights are used as well as a hot steam and a vacuum ten times more powerful than the one you find in someone’s home. As well as that infrared heat and ozone induction is used and there is an optional anti-microbial treatment. Michael explains that Clean Sleep have two trucks on the road currently carrying out this service.
Robert asks if the sharks could see a demonstration of how exactly Clean Sleep works. Michael gives a demonstration of the hot steam being emitted just like it is in the mattress cleaning process. Robert is intrigued that Michael has invented this whole system. Michael explains that about eight years ago, while his bed sheets were still drying, he fell asleep on his mattress and was shocked at how dirty it was. So for the following seven and a half years, he has been developing the technology.
Robert asks how often the mattress should be cleaned. Michael claims that for homes, mattresses should be cleaned every six to twelve months. However, for hotels, hospitals and senior living facilities, the mattresses should be cleaned much more frequently.
Lori asks if many hotels have signed up for this service to which Michael replies that at present, Clean Sleep are servicing over thirty hotels. Lori asks Michael why he was so horrified at his mattress on the one occasion that he slept on it without the bed sheets. Michael compares it to changing your clothes everyday but never taking a shower. In the matter of a week you would be filthy. That is why we all change the sheets on our bed. However, what about the mattress underneath. Surely that is just as important.
Robert asks how much the service costs to which Michael replies that the standard service is $89.95. Mark is shocked at the price and Kevin agrees with him claiming that Michael is charging too little for this service. Michael explains that when the Clean Sleep team go out to service a mattress there can be extra charges for stain removal, heat treatments, etc.
Robert is keen to know about sales for the last year. Michael says that he is just after selling the first franchise for $435,000. For Michael’s truck alone, his sales were over $100,000 in the previous eighteen months.
Barbara asks Michael to pitch to hr as if she were a potential franchisee. Michael explains that projections show a $75,000 revenue for the first year of the franchise. Barbara seems underwhelmed that only $75,000 will be made. Robert asks what the net is on the $75,000 and Michael claims he would break even. Robert and Mark agree that to make only $75,000 from a single truck is very low for the whole year. Robert asks why Michael is not making more money. Michael explains that the whole operation is just launching. Franchising the mobile units is only part of Clean Sleep. He is currently in talks with hospitals and some major hotel chains which he hopes to lease the Clean Sleep machine too earning both major revenue and royalties. Michael explains that part of his campaign is to offer Clean Sleep certified beds and hotels that use the service will advertise the fact that Clean Sleep is used to clean their mattresses.
Barbara asks how Michael got into business in the first place. An emotional Michael relays the story of running away from home at just fourteen years old with $120 to his name. He then moved in to his grandparents’ house where his life changed. He realized there was two types of people in the world – those who watch things happen and those who make things happen. Michael wanted to be somebody who would make something happen. At sixteen, he was hired by Boeing and went through six different fields of engineering with them. Five and a half years later, Michael knew working for somebody else wasn’t for him. The sharks are clearly amazed at Michael’s story.
Mark asks what his big plan is, acknowledging the fact that Michael has come to the shark tank asking for quite a large sum of money. Michael says that the way Clean Sleep will make money is by leasing the machines to hospitals, to the military bases and to high volume hotels. Mark questions why this has not already been done. Michael explains that he has just passed the proof of concept stage and negotiations are taking place to make all this happen.
Kevin asks what Michael needs the $1.5 million for to which he replies, he wants to build more machines to do a pilot in a hospital. Mark thinks that Michael has come to the shark tank a bit early with Clean Sleep. Michael states he needs the sharks help to get the strategic partnerships and relationships that would make Clean Sleep the successful brand he wants it to be.
Robert is not sure if the market needs a product like this judging from the small sales figures Michael has given. Barbara claims that when Michael began his pitch, she was impressed. The more he talks however, the more she realized that is too confusing and far too much money. For that reason, she declares herself out.
Robert acknowledges that Michael is clearly a very focused guy but he feels that the longer Michael talked, the less opportunities there was. Unfortunately, the product is not for him so for that reason he too declares himself out.
Mark claims that there is too much going on between the trucks on the road, the leasing and the franchises. For that reason, he declares himself out.
Lori thinks that Clean Sleep is a very smart idea for hotel chains. Unfortunately, that will be a slow process. For Lori, she likes to see the money she invests come back at a faster rate. For the simple fact that it will take a long time to make a profit, although she thinks it is a great idea, Lori declares herself out.
That just leaves Mr. Wonderful to decide on the fate of Michael and Clean Sleep. Kevin gets the product but claims he would be paying $1.5 million to find out what he doesn’t know. Kevin acknowledges that fact that Michael has something amazing with Clean Sleep but unfortunately he is not there and so he declares himself out. Michael leaves the shark tank without a deal. All the sharks wish him the best and encourage him to keep going as he has something great. Lori commends him on all he has achieved in life so far and urges him not to give up. A slightly disappointed Michael leaves the shark tank taking the positives with him. He will use the experience to stay driven and committed to getting Clean Sleep to where he wants it to be.
Clean Sleep Now in 2024– The After Shark Tank Update
Michael might not have received a deal from the sharks but that didn’t stop him from working on the company. If anything, he took their advice to heart. Shortly after the episode aired, he updated their website so that everything is laid out clearly. The company also received a huge reaction from viewers after they learned just how icky a mattress can be.
By 2016, Michael had started creating franchises in the Texas area. He also landed a number of deals with various hotel chains and hospitals that agreed to use their products.
Fast forward to 2024 and Clean Sleep is still in business. In fact, they seem to be doing quite well. The last that we checked, the company was bringing in $2.7 million a year. If anything, this goes to show that it is still possible to succeed even without a deal from the sharks. In Clean Sleep’s case, they were able to grow significantly after finding their niche in the hotel service industry (and they’ve since expanded to other areas).
According to their website, they are now partnered with hotels, hospitals, and other industry leaders to sanitize mattresses, furniture, pillows, PPE, and more. Not only that but they also work with residential buildings, student housing, boats, RVs, trucks, trailers, apartments, and work camps.
Like before, they currently use a 5-step patent-pending technology that includes ultraviolet C light, high-power vacuum, dry steam, infrared heat, and ozone deodorization.
The process is also straightforward. Those who are interested in their services can schedule an appointment on their website. Clean Sleep will then confirm the appointment within an hour of the appointment; they’ll also let you know when they’re on the way. Once they’ve arrived, they’ll remove all linens from the bed and clear any obstructions that’ll prevent the safe transport of the mattress. They’ll then clean and sanitize your mattress and it’ll be ready in as little as 15 minutes.
In addition to regular mattress cleaning, they also offer specialized services such as bed bug removal, dust mite removal, urine removal, and odor removal.
For more information, you can check out their website at cleansleep.com. You can also follow or contact them on social media. Not only are they active on Twitter, but they also have an official Facebook page, the latter of which has a 4.9 rating out of 16 reviews.
At one point, they also had a separate page for a “Canada section” but it looks like it has since gone down as the link currently leads to an error.
