A clean cube is a cabinet-style locker system with a computerized mechanism designed to be installed in apartments or other residential buildings. The purpose of this locker system was to assist people in completing tasks without worrying about leaving stuff in an unsafe spot. For instance, you must go to work but have to get your clothes dry cleaned.
With the Clean Cube, you can activate the locker by entering a PIN which will show all available lockers, and you can place your clothes inside. The clothes will be picked up and returned to the same locker while you’re away. In exchange for the locker service, the residents pay a small price.
Arthur Shmulevsky and Ryan Argan are the co-founders of the Clean Cube. The idea behind Clean Cube was to make deliveries safe from getting stolen. When your package arrives, it can safely be transported to the Clean Cube Office. The workers at the office will bring the parcel to the lockers at your residential building, and you can be informed about its arrival via text or email. This makes it much safer than letting the package sit out in the open on the porch, where it can easily be stolen.
It’s also a feasible solution for shippers. Moreover, the co-founders of this computerized technology were also working on creating chilled lockers to accommodate home food deliveries.
Almost 40 buildings in New York City already have the Clean Cube, but the goal is to reach 1000 buildings. Since the cost for availing of Clean Cube services was only $3, it seemed like a feasible solution for both shippers and receivers.
On the Shark Tank show, the idea of Clean Cube was pitched as an automated doorman service. At the time, the company held a net worth of $3 million, and the co-founders were looking for a $300,000 investment in exchange for 10 percent equity.
After explaining how the Clean Cube worked to the Sharks and a long discussion, Arthur and Ryan failed to impress them and walked away without scoring a deal. Later, the business shut down after completing three operational years.
Our Review of the Clean Cube
The Clean Cube technology surely was an innovative approach. The computerized locker system ensured all your laundry and deliveries remained safe inside the cubicles while you worked. It was a feasible solution for both shippers and receivers. Still, it comes with its fair share of pros and cons.
Here’s our review of the Clean Cube.
Pros of Clean Cube
Let’s start with all the pros of the Clean Cube.
- A safe space for getting your deliveries
- Computerized locks make the Clean Cube secure, eliminating instances of parcel theft
- Doorman service does the laundry for you
- A minimal fee of $3 for shipping and receiving
- It eliminates the need to wait around for parcels
Cons of Clean Cube
There aren’t many cons of the Clean Cube technology, even though the business shut down prematurely. It was a beneficial solution for most residents. Still, there are a few disadvantages, including the following:
- They charge a high cost for laundry and dry cleaning, which can be expensive. The cost breakdown is as follows:
- $1.15 for laundry per pound (minimum of 10 pounds of laundry required)
- Drycleaning costs are expensive
- $6 for jeans
- $15 for a tux
- $30 for formal gowns and dresses
- $30 for comforters
- The landlords would charge higher rent in residential spaces with Clean Cube lockers
- Not suitable for smaller batches of laundry or dry cleaning
Who is the Clean Cube for?
The Clean Cube was designed for office workers or people who had to stay all day home only to wait for a delivery. Instead of letting the package sit out on the porch where it can easily be misplaced or stolen, the Clean Cube provided a computerized locker where the parcel could be safely stored.
It was also extensively used for grocery deliveries, picking up laundry, and dry cleaning without physically going to the store. Simply drop your stuff in the locker and pick it up at the scheduled time after returning home. It was a simple yet effective idea, and almost 40 buildings in New York had these locker systems.
Are There Any Alternatives?
There are quite a few alternatives to the Clean Cube, but the best one so far is the Amazon Hub. Amazon Hub package lockers work similarly to the Clean Cube and are installed in both commercial and residential real estate.
The delivery person receives a PIN code when dropping off parcels. This code can only be used one time to ensure security. After the package has been stored in the computerized lockers, the recipient also receives a unique code that they can use at any time to access their parcel at the Amazon Hub lockers. The code is automatically generated after the package is stored in vaults.
The only drawback is that even the most enormous lockers cannot accommodate oversized deliveries such as furniture.
Our Final Thoughts
Even though the Clean Cube held a net worth of $3 million, the business was shut down prematurely, making it another Shark Tank failure. Currently, the co-founders Arthur Shmulevsky and Ryan Argan are working in separate firms, both in New York.
They failed to score a deal in the Shark Tank. Still, their idea was unique for their time. Today, many different computerized locker systems have the same concept as the Clean Cube. The PIN-code-activated lockers keep the parcels safe and secure even when you’re away.
But most modern-day package lockers are limited to parcel deliveries. The Clean Cube was unique in the sense that it also offered laundry and dry cleaning pickups to apartment building residents, making it a more convenient option.
