Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 12/31/2020 – InstaStream introduces the Bright Future of Eco-Friendly, Contactless Dry Cleaning Making It Truly Sustainable and Stylish 2021. Developed by 22-year old Entrepreneur Ari Hirsch, InstaSteam is the world’s first hands- and electricity-free clothing steamer that smoothes wrinkles and deodorizes in as little as 3 minutes using mineral-based, non-toxic ingredients. One of the last holdouts of the old-fashioned approach to fashion, replace time-consuming trips to the dry cleaner with a quick, convenient, and refreshingly eco-friendly alternative. Support this American Made brand in 2021.
Has Entrepreneurship always been in your blood?
Yes, entrepreneurship has been in my blood from the time I was born. From a very young age, I was already dreaming of inventing things and starting businesses. As a kid, I was always very creative and loved to build things with anything I was able to find. I was one of those kids that always wanted to grow up fast.
Share your upbringing. How did it set the stage for your new company?
As far back as I can remember, I grew up watching my parents work extremely hard to run multiple ventures in different industries to support our family. Watching them really taught me how to work hard, never give up, follow my passion, and allowed me to have knowledge in a lot of different fields of business. I got to experience contracts, tech, marketing, real estate, consumer products, wholesale/retail, and many other relevant things that I apply now as an entrepreneur and business owner.
As an adventurous person, I was always up for a good thrill or sport. I played baseball and football growing up, as well as snowboarding, wakeboarding, skydiving, scuba diving, etc. On top of that, I also followed in my father’s footsteps and started to get my private pilot’s license as soon as I started driving. Although it may not seem like these things play a role in becoming a successful entrepreneur, I feel that having this adventurous side can translate into not being afraid to take a risk or try something new although you might fail. If you do fail, get back up and try again.
In addition to the influence my parents had on me, towards the end of high school I started to gain experience in engineering, web development, design, marketing, etc. which all played a factor in the launch of my business. All of this experience allowed me to launch my business with as little money possible as I didn’t have to pay other people to accomplish certain things for me.
Tell us about InstaSteam.
InstaSteam is the world’s first hands-free, electricity-free clothing steamer that smoothes wrinkles and deodorizes in as little as 3 minutes using mineral-based, non-toxic ingredients. In Addition, InstaSteam is also the first clothing steamer safe for travel on airplanes and cruise ships due to it being electricity-free and non-flammable. Simply hang the garment in the bag, add water to the InstaSteam Pod, insert, zip… and dress to impress in as little as 3 minutes!
During a post-high school year studying abroad, with no travel steamer or dry cleaner nearby, I resorted to using my dorm room iron that left my garment badly burned. After traveling with no suitable options for me to steam my clothing and determined to find a better way, I had an idea: a garment bag that could steam my clothes, so they could be ready to go quickly and conveniently when I arrive at my destination. I then wrote down my idea and made a sketch video demonstrating how I wanted it to work. From there I showed it to friends, family, and even a random person sitting next to me on the plane. Everyone loved it. Once I got back from my year abroad, I started college, worked in web development and event coordinating. At the same time, because everyone loved my idea, I had to see if I could actually make it come to life. So I did a lot of testing and research in my room and bathroom until I was able to create a working prototype of InstaSteam. From there the rest is history.
Why is it timely?
Wrinkled clothing is a problem that we have and will always have. Before COVID-19, my goal was to make getting wrinkles out of clothing easier, more cost-effective, and more accessible to people, especially while traveling. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 hit, InstaSteam became an amazing solution for not only helping people get the wrinkles out of their clothes but also allowed them to have a contact-free solution keeping them safe from going to the dry cleaners as well as preventing them from getting exposed by other people when they travel. Between the convenience and safety that InstaSteam provides to people, I don’t think there could be a better time for InstaSteam to be released into the world.
InstaSteam has featured among the Home Shopping Network’s most “innovative ideas that make life easier,” complete with modern and Earth-first features that include:
- Electricity-free. No more searching for plugs or feeling relegated to the nearest outlet. Simply hang the garment, add water to the mineral pouch, insert, zip, and dress to impress in as little as 3 minutes.
- Mineral-based and non-flammable. The mineral pouch contains safe, non-toxic ingredients that are approved for travel by the TSA and allowed on most cruise lines.
- Sustainably made in the USA. All components are proudly prepared, assembled, and built right here in the United States with a focus on sustainability.
- Reusable and recyclable. Tired of piling up plastic waste from traditional methods of dry cleaning? InstaSteam garment bags are reusable and – when you’re ready for a new one – completely recyclable.
- Contactless. A big part of being “safe” is staying conscious about the spread of germs. InstaSteam is an ideal choice as the premier at-home, 100% contactless option.
- Hands-free and remote-work friendly. Adults (and even kids!) can quickly steam clothing for themselves without taking time away from their busy schedule – just set it, forget it, and InstaSteam does the rest.
What are people saying about InstaSteam?
I have been getting amazing feedback from our customers. There are so many different demographics of people using InstaSteam. From Moms to Business people to travelers to fashion… there is no end to how InstaSteam can be used. You can find people saying “This product was a lifesaver for us on our cruise”, “This should be in every hotel room!”, “This is a brilliant product!”, and “I could use this instead of the iron for my husband’s work shirts.” I originally came up with InstaSteam as a travel solution, however, I have realized that it really has so many ways to help people in their everyday lives.
Share your vision for 2021.
Hopefully, as things start to improve now with the vaccines starting to be administered, I hope to be able to continue expanding InstaSteam and making it more available to people around the world. I would like to continue putting it into more hotels, cruise lines, airports, stores, and making InstaSteam easily accessible wherever one might be.
