S07.E08: AfreSHeet, Unshrinkit, Grip Clean, PolarPro, And Sharks At The White House

[yeswedo]

This episode features all millennial entrepreneurs. A man has a product he believes is essential in every college dorm room; two Harvard grads transform shrunken sweaters back to their original sizes; and a surfer dude surprises the Sharks with a lucrative proposition. Also, the Sharks are invited to The White house to meet President Barack Obama and Daymond John is honored with a Presidential Ambassadorship.

[cooksdelight]

I laughed when right after the UnShrink team presented, they ran a commercial for Downey fabric softener... "for all your delicate washables."

That guy with the peel off bedsheets is crazy for not going after institutional business. When my late aunt was in a nursing home, she'd have to get entirely out of bed for them to change the sheet. They could just peel this one out from under someone.

Surfer dude got on my nerves at first with his hand waving and "duuuuude" talk. But by the time he finished I had a lot more respect for what he's been able to do by age 26. He should pair up with the drone guy who was on previously. Then you wouldn't have to use your cell phone and possibly lose it in a crash. I'd like to know what more of his products are.

[leighdear]

Wool items can be resurrected from shrinkage by soaking them in a mixture of cheap hair conditioner & water or baby shampoo & water, and then rinsed and reshaped to dry.  But they can't have dried in the shrunken state.  Once the garment is dried, there is no chemical that can reverse the process, I don't care what those kids say.  

 

The combination of moisture and agitation/friction forces the "scales" of the wool fibers together in a process called "felting".  Because wool is literally the hair of sheep.  Wool behaves the same way, and like with dreadlocks, you can't loosen them and soften the dreads back to long, silky loose strands.  I've been knitting for 40+ years, so I know how fibers behave.  That was a worthless "buy" for Mark, but he'll find that out soon enough.  I'm betting all those kids have "developed" is identical to hair conditioner. 

Edited November 14, 2015 by leighdear

[KaveDweller]

I feel like those first two presenters suffered from having products not really designed for rich people.  The Sharks probably have people who wash their sheets and clothes. And if they shrunk a sweater, they'd just buy a new one.

 

I think the un-shrink people should have gone with Damon though. Licensing basically means you sit back and take money from other people doing the work. Then you can develop other stuff to license in your free time and get rich.

[NikSac]

Interesting episode tonight. I normally don't like it when these shows go with "themes" (i.e. millennials) but I liked this one.

 

KaveDweller I completely agree on your points. I think the Sharks just seriously had a hard time imagining not having 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets changed regularly by staff (or maybe I'm just daydreaming about having that kind of $$, but that's what I picture). 

 

Also, I know they couldn't really say it outright but when the sheet presenters were so focused on dorm rooms I couldn't stop thinking about the "play-uhs" who might need or want to regularly/rapidly change their sheets. Ew.  I think the more realistic market is probably the institutional market, as they said. How many parents are going to buy their kids sheets "in case you soil yours at college." 

 

I had my doubts about the Un-shrink product and still do, but I think they could sell quite a bit of it before it came out that it doesn't do anything and/or is the same thing as hair conditioner. It took me a year or two of paying way too much for that Downy Wrinkle Releaser to realize that all I had to do was water down a few tablespoons of fabric softener in a quart or so of water, shake really well, spray on, and get the same result. I think the licensing agreement would've been a good idea.

 

The dirt soap - my husband's a mechanic and I don't think he'd touch that stuff mostly due to price, but also it seemed like it might leave your hands too greasy with the coconut oil and olive oil. It was impressive for the cleanliness factor, but way too expensive for the size of soap. Most mechanics I know already have rough hands and don't much care about spraying straight degreaser on their hands, which I know is a bad idea, but they're just not that worried about it.

 

PolarPro - eh, I'm kind of over all the "drone" stuff but I can see where it'd be a good investment. I hope it works out well for them.

 

Guess I was pretty negative on most of the ideas tonight. I like seeing new inventors and new ideas, but I wish they were thought through more first sometimes. Apparently the Sharks do too.

[marny]

The sheets just reminded me of the roll of paper they pull down over the table when you go to the doctor so that you're not sitting on the last person's paper.  People don't want to sleep on disposable sheets by choice.  I get it in a medical situation or a nursing home, but otherwise, big nope, not in my home or in my dorm room.  Even a college kid wouldn't want to admit that he's so much of an animal that he needs to sleep on disposable sheets.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I wonder how much absorbency, breathability, softness etc. the sheets guy sacrificed to get a stack where the top layer protects all the rest. In an institutional setting you do have to worry about bed sores and sheets that don't breathe and don't absorb perspiration, I wonder how well that would work. Also, I'm not sure, but I'd think disposable sheets in that setting would have to be treated as medical waste and not recyclable. ETA: I thought Robert's observation that "people will say nice things about a product they don't want to buy just to get the salesman to go away" was astute in the general case and probably very accurate in this specific case as well.

 

Lava soap and other cleaners like that exist. I can get that this guy's product might be easier on the hands, but if he's washing his hands that often maybe he's a little OCD or something? I would think most people in that setting would cleanup with rags over the course of the day, with thorough scrub downs only before lunch or at the end of the day. I could be wrong.

 

Too bad the "Go Pro" guy wasn't there to have a Brodown/Prodown/Throwdown with the Polar Pro guy. And by "too bad", I mean "Thank God". I'm a little surprised that drone cameras can't use standard camera filters. I also don't know why he didn't take Daymond's deal.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[jackjill89]

Don't know about the olive oil, but I use coconut oil and will rub it on my hands. It absorbs really quickly and doesn't leave them feeling greasy at all.

 

The sheet idea was gross. I thought the "dude" was putting on an act with his talk. I don't think I could be around him very long. He'd drive me crazy!

[Primetimer]

Robert Herjavec joins the other Sharks in washing his hands of last week's awful episode with some surprisingly competent pitches.

Read the story

[Pjxf99]

How can I say this without being really gross....if you use the sheets in a hospital setting where there could be blood or bodily fluid/waste on them...wouldn't that stuff just soak through to the other layers?

The whole idea just squicked me out. But in college I lived with three other girls (clean apartment) next to a group of four guys who literally had mold growing out of the sink onto the counter, so I'm sure there's a market for that sheet. I just don't want to know the people that would buy it.

[PepperMonkey]

ld, I wondered the same thing about why Mark was going for the unshrinkable stuff, but then I thought he may just be wanting to partner with those kids. They seemed pretty sharp and have nice pedigrees (educationally) and he might have just wanted to see what happens AFTER they can't unshrink certain things.

 

I sort of enjoyed the show last night. Kevin seems to have toned down "some" of his Mr Wonderfulness, probably because no one cares if he's even there anymore, and Lori wasn't front and center for most of the show, which for me is always a good thing.

[sadiegirl]

As much as I disliked the Pro guy, he handled the 'take my deal now' crap in the best way possible. Mark pretty much said 'I'm giving you what you want, take my deal' and the annoying bro came back with 'it would be stupid of me to do so before I hear everyone out'. I hope others in the future use that same line so the sharks will stop pulling that crap. That's why I prefer Dragons' Den. Not only do the dragons never say that, they actively ask others if they are making an offer and give the presenter time to make up their minds.

And the less said about the disposable sheet, the better. That is just gross.

[Jamoche]

How can I say this without being really gross....if you use the sheets in a hospital setting where there could be blood or bodily fluid/waste on them...wouldn't that stuff just soak through to the other layers?

Doesn't have to be a hospital setting for that - just having a functional female reproductive system will do.

 

 I'm sure there's a market for that sheet. I just don't want to know the people that would buy it.

 

The parents of the kids with mold. Not that they'll use it.

[starri]

If I had a neighbor with a drone, it wouldn't have enough time to have a mishap with my tree, because I'd have shot it down the minute it crossed my property line.

 

I think the point of the sheet thing was that it didn't leak.  I think at one point during the presentation, they had the "student" spill some kind of liquid (they missed an opportunity by not making it blue, like in tampon/diaper commercials) and it didn't absorb through to the next level.  Still a gross product, and the people in the world most likely to need it would also be the least likely to buy it.

 

I didn't understand the appeal of the soap at all.  The fact that the guy was having problems finding a place to manufacture it should have been a huge red flag to Lori, but she's never really been the brain-trust of the Sharks.

 

For people shrinking their wool sweaters?  Do you just ignore the Dryclean Only label?

[marny]

Also, if you're a college guy who wants to bring a woman back to your dorm room-- she doesn't want to know you have disposable sheets on your bed.  So, for that reason alone, I'm out.

[shksabelle]

The past tense of shrink is shrank, NOT shrunk, Ms. Harvard

[cooksdelight]

I just thought of something. Those sheets would be ideal for a crib. If he'd brought them out to show them in a baby's bed, I think he'd have had more interest. And so would Babys R Us, probably. Parents put those waterproof mattress covers on anyway, this would eliminate that and there wouldn't be that rubbery sound when he's jumping up and down first thing in the morning. :)

[columbot]

Curse the poster here who pointed out the "So" thing all the people do. The presenters really do start every explanation with "so", and now I can't not notice it.

 

I also noticed the old lady who was speaking at the White House segment saying "Give it up". I guess that phrase isn't just for young DJs and MCs anymore.

[RemoteControlFreak]

More eager-beaver millennials showing up to earnestly pitch their products that solve a non-existant problem.

 

Tear-off sheets:  If Lori can stick her hand through one, they don't have a chance of making it through a night on an actually slept-in bed.  FAIL

 

Un-Shrink-it:  How many people actually are out there shrinking sweaters?  And as, mentioned above, the same un-shrinking can be achieved by soaking in hair conditioner and water and stretching back to shape.  Who needs a dedicated product?  No one.  FAIL

 

Dirt soap:  I like this product.  I work on greasy stuff and there's nothing on the market right now that doesn't rub the skin off your hands when you use it.  Problem is, the kid wanted to succeed but still wanted to do it all himself. I was surprised to see that he has no webpage (looks like he launched one today after the Shark Tank episode aired) and only a minimal social media presence. Even if it's true that people won't buy it online -- which is questionable -- it can and should be promoted online.  Also, the name "Grip Clean" is wrong.  Does it clean your grips?  PASS

 

Electronics guy:  The market is gutted with stuff like this. I know. I buy it all the time on Amazon for pennies (selfie stick, goPro clamps, portable chargers, etc. etc. etc.).  Can't see investing in another company in this market, er "space."  FAIL

Edited November 14, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[Shibori]

Wool items can be resurrected from shrinkage by soaking them in a mixture of cheap hair conditioner & water or baby shampoo & water, and then rinsed and reshaped to dry.  But they can't have dried in the shrunken state.  Once the garment is dried, there is no chemical that can reverse the process, I don't care what those kids say.  

 

The combination of moisture and agitation/friction forces the "scales" of the wool fibers together in a process called "felting".  Because wool is literally the hair of sheep.  Wool behaves the same way, and like with dreadlocks, you can't loosen them and soften the dreads back to long, silky loose strands.  I've been knitting for 40+ years, so I know how fibers behave.  That was a worthless "buy" for Mark, but he'll find that out soon enough.  I'm betting all those kids have "developed" is identical to hair conditioner.

Ooh! For once my fiber science degree comes in handy in everyday conversation! So, felting is usually considered permanent because the process creates chemical bonds among the keratin proteins in the fibers. If you can break the bonds you can reshape the garment. But it's a pretty hardcore chemical reaction. Think old school perms or keratin hair straightening treatments. So you might be able to get back to some semblance of the original shape, but you'll have damaged the texture and hand of the garment in the process to some extent. And probably smell like a perm. So it won't really be good as new, but probably still wearable.

[NikSac]

Also, if you're a college guy who wants to bring a woman back to your dorm room-- she doesn't want to know you have disposable sheets on your bed.  So, for that reason alone, I'm out.

 

hahaha VERY well said!

[KaveDweller]

Dirt soap:  I like this product.  I work on greasy stuff and there's nothing on the market right now that doesn't rub the skin off your hands when you use it.  Problem is, the kid wanted to succeed but still wanted to do it all himself. I was surprised to see that he has no webpage (looks like he launched one today after the Shark Tank episode aired) and only a minimal social media presence. Even if it's true that people won't buy it online -- which is questionable -- it can and should be promoted online.  Also, the name "Grip Clean" is wrong.  Does it clean your grips?  PASS

 

I wonder if his deal with Lori fell through, I can't believe she wouldn't have made him have a website ready before the episode aired. Perhaps there really is some reason manufacturers don't want to make it and that made her back out?

[designing1]

 

Curse the poster here who pointed out the "So" thing all the people do. The presenters really do start every explanation with "so", and now I can't not notice it.

 

[raises a guilty hand]

 

Perhaps I wasn't the only one, but I definitely pointed it out. On this episode, it was out of control and drove me crazy. I realize it's the "uh", the "give me a second to think" for a new generation, but I find it so much more glaringly noticeable than the "uh" is...perhaps because it's an actual word. A word that, to me, somehow turns what should be an assured, declarative statement into something less powerful...and since I couldn't put my finger on why that is, I consulted Webster's and found this use of "so":

 

 

introducing a statement that is followed by a defensive comment: so I like anchovies—what's wrong with that?

 

Yes! In addition to being annoying in its repetition, it sounds defensive and almost apologetic to me. [rant over]

 

On topic: The sheets were nauseating, the soap and deshrinking stuff were bores, and the tech guy is going to continue making a bundle of cash.

[starri]

I wonder if his deal with Lori fell through, I can't believe she wouldn't have made him have a website ready before the episode aired. Perhaps there really is some reason manufacturers don't want to make it and that made her back out?

She didn't Tweet about the deal last night, but she probably thought it was inappropriate.

[bilgistic]

Others have hinted at it--I immediately thought the porn industry would be a market for the disposable sheets.

I don't understand "manufacturers not wanting to mix" soap guy's soap, unless he's not using a cosmetic-grade clay. There are all kinds of facial scrubs and masks with clay in them.

[Quickbeam]

The unshrink thing really mystified me. Like upthread, I am a long time knitter. Felting is forever....you can re-block a wet sweater but dried and felted? You'd literally be pulling it apart. I also don't see that many younger people wearing wool. Even here in WI, it's microfiber fleece everywhere. Anyhow, it seemed like such a tiny market, I was surprised at the interest.

[rhys]

I watched the unshrink demo with avid interest. I'm a knitter, too, & I recently knitted& felted a Xmas stocking. It got too small! So I was thinking of purchasing unshrink until I read what the other knitters posted. I may PM you skein skanks & Chemists to see if you think fabric softener would allow the stocking to stretch to a slightly larger size.

One of my kids is a UCSB grad so it was fun seeing the polar pro guy from there. I didn't know UCSB had a ski team.

[bilgistic]

I don't understand wool. If it is ruined when wet, how are there wool socks? And wool-lined slippers and shoes?

I'm reminded of a Jerry Seinfeld bit in which he says, "When it starts raining, do cows knock on the barn door and say, 'Let us in; we're wearing leather!'?"

[zxy556575]

I'd have to see and feel the texture in person before I'd buy, but disposable sheets are a lot less gross or nauseating to me than regular sheets that have been left unwashed for weeks on end. Looking at you, a couple of guys I dated in college, at whose (animal) houses/dorm rooms I refused to sleep over.

[RemoteControlFreak]

I don't understand wool. If it is ruined when wet, how are there wool socks? And wool-lined slippers and shoes?

I'm reminded of a Jerry Seinfeld bit in which he says, "When it starts raining, do cows knock on the barn door and say, 'Let us in; we're wearing leather!'?"

It's not ruined by getting wet.  It shrinks when it gets wet and then heat is applied to it when it's wet, like if you put a wet wool sweater in a hot clothes dryer.

Edited November 15, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[columbot]

It was also pretty sad seeing Daymond and Robert desperate to get into Cuban's deal. When Cubes eventually agreed to partner with Robert he didn't seem pleased at all. 

 

This was supposed to be a themed episode? If it wasn't mentioned here I wouldn't have noticed. The dirt guy kept talking about how young he is over and over. He's 25. That's not THAT young.

[cooksdelight]

Hey, don't call him Cubes. LOL!!! I remember the time someone did and he got all bent out of shape.

[needschocolate]

Sheets - Instead of making fitted, disposable, waterproof, paper sheets that are probably uncomfortable to sleep on, why not make thin, disposable, waterproof, paper pads to put under your stuff when you study and eat on top of your bed?  Oh wait, they already make those to put under patients in hospitals.  

 

When the guy was talking about his sheets I was thinking that he needs to market them to bordellos and legitimate massage parlors - places where they have to change the linen often, but not places where some spends a lot of time laying on them.  

 

Unshrink - There is no way the unshrink people gave correct numbers.  They must have projected that every wool sweater ever sold would need a bottle of their stuff.  I figured they were out of touch when she said that they see it as a product everyone would want to have on hand, like aspirin.  If you have a headache, you want aspirin right now, you don't want to drive to the store and pick some up.  If you shrink your wool sweater, you can wait until or next week or month or year to take care of it.  If you have to have that sweater back to normal right away, then you aren't going to have time to soak it for 30 minutes, reshape it, and let it air dry.  

 

The soap guy got a chuckle out of me when he said that he wanted the money so he could buy a 50 gallon drum to make the stuff in his garage instead of the 5 gallon bucket is currently using.

 

I also had to laugh when Robert explained that people will tell a salesperson that they like something just to get away from them and this was followed by "But people tell us they love this product!" However, now I can't remember which of the entrepreneurs said it (it could have been any of them, except the Polar Pro guy, since he actually had real sales).

 

I thought the "dude" was putting on an act with his talk. I don't think I could be around him very long. He'd drive me crazy!

 

I think the sharks initially thought he was putting on an act with the voice too.  Polar Pro guy was the first man I have ever heard with a Vocal Fry.  

[cyberfruit]

Younger people are wearing wool, especially young people living in the Northeast like the presenters. Before moving to Boston, I think I owned just two thin wool sweaters (that I got for cheap at GAP after christmas one year). After living in this city for just three years, I have accumluated maybe 10 sweaters in wool & wool blends rather inexpensively from places like GAP, Uniqlo, and J.Crew. Microfiber fleece is really popular, but I'd argue that teens & college students are wearing that fabric, not 20-30 somethings working in business casual office settings. 

 

Personally, I've never had an issue with shrinkage from my sweaters past the age of 20 because I am really anal about how I wash my clothes, but hey, that was a learning curve. 

 

As for the disposable sheets, I thought that guy was really stupid to not market his product solely to hospitals. College students can be gross as hell, and I know that for as fact as a former RA, but no one wants to willingly sleep, eat, or have sex on sheets that feel like paper. He'd made a killing in hospitals and possible senior health care.

[leighdear]

Several yarn manufacturers make what's called "Superwash" Wool.  The fibers have been treated to resist felting and shrinking when it's machine washed and dried.  Lots of commercial wool socks, slippers and other items are made with it, or with wool yarn combined with Lycra and nylon for stretch & durability.  The label will always give the material content. 

 

And I agree that young people wear wool, but I also agree that they don't wear nearly as much as other fibers.  The girl presenter was talking about her sweater being cashmere, and I just don't see there being a lot of pure cashmere in the closets of Millennials.  And I've never seen a wool or cashmere sweater label that didn't say to dry clean or hand wash. But then, I've always been a label reader. 

 

I was so happy for Robert that he finally got a deal!  It seems like it's been a very long time since he bought into anything.  

Edited November 15, 2015 by leighdear

[tomatoflyer]

I liked this episode. Everyone seemed thoughtful and smart.

[nobodyyoucare]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/california-bro-landed-1-million-203328902.html

 

http://www.inquisitr.com/2568007/shark-tank-how-a-near-partnership-with-go-pro-led-polar-pro-to-pitch-the-sharks/

 

The PolarPro company real seller is a bunch of lens filters for gopro cameras and drones that increase picture quality. 

[hkit]

 Even a college kid wouldn't want to admit that he's so much of an animal that he needs to sleep on disposable sheets.

 

40 year old me is a princess and only sleeps on 1000 thread count sheets now (my one indulgence I insist on), but I'll admit, 18 year old me would have been all over that. As disgusting as it sounds, I doubt I washed my sheets more than once or twice a semester. $0.75 to wash and $0.75 to dry, or go live it up at $0.25 draft night. My choice was clear.

[Amarsir]

Millennials are hardly absent from this show during normal episodes.  (Especially considering that the definition covers ages 10-35.)  So this theme hits me the same way a "white male special" would.  Nothing against the people in that group, but it's a silly thing to point out.

 

I also noticed the old lady who was speaking at the White House segment saying "Give it up". I guess that phrase isn't just for young DJs and MCs anymore.

It was politicians doing a youth outreach. They'd have made announcements in emoticons if they could.

[mjc570]

I have to admit, until I read the postings here, I totally liked the unshrink stuff.  We all have a number of cashmere sweaters and scarves.  I'm lazy , and don't like to do laundry, so I am not careful.  I'd rather buy a bottle of that stuff than google "unshrink your sweater" on google and have to read through a million hits to see which one to do. 

[LeGrandElephant]

I live in a cold climate but I'm very sensitive to things being scratchy, so I don't think I have any wool stuff. I have had lots of my shirts and sweaters shrinking over time even if I don't put them in the dryer, but I think they are mostly cotton based. So I guess this unshrink thing wouldn't work for that?

[Jesse]

Des from Unshrinkit was on the Ask A Clean Person podcast this week: http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/unshrink-it/ She addressed a couple of things that came up in this thread: The product doesn't work if the wool is actually felted, and it works on wool blends, but not 100% cotton. 

[theatremouse]

Interesting. So basically, it does do something in the vein of what they claim but not really what they strongly implied it would...because...I'm like...girl you tell me "wool sweater", I'm not thinkin' blend over here, bitch. Come on now, false advertising.

[Jesse]

Oh, it works on 100% wool! Just not 100% something else.