10 of the Best Car Upholstery Cleaners Tested
Car and Driver
We’ve all been there. One minute your commute is going smoothly, then in the blink of an eye, some yahoo cuts you off. You react quickly, saving both yourself and the car, but there is one casualty: your coffee. As you swerve to avoid the ne’er-do-well, the cup flies from your hand, causing it to careen into your dashboard, dump its contents, and coat your interior with the latest shade of pumpkin spice.
How We Chose the Products in This Guide
To aid in the task of interior decontamination, we have assembled a guide to 10 of the best car upholstery cleaners. We tried them on stained upholstery and found that each offers the everyday car owner the ability to clean with the speed and efficiency of a professional detail shop. To be clear, the products on this list are intended to clean cloth and vinyl upholstery; a few here will also clean leather.
When you use detailing products, there are a few good practices to get in the habit of following:
• Before using a new product or trying a familiar one on a new surface, always check for colorfastness. This means testing the product in an inconspicuous area to ensure it won’t cause the dyes in the fabric to bleed or run. It says this in the directions, but we’re going to take a wild guess that you have been known to ignore those, which brings us to:
• All cleaners are different, and it’s good practice to read the directions before you start in order to guarantee optimal results. Pay close attention to specific techniques and methods.
• If simply applying product and wiping it away isn’t working, consider purchasing a detail brush. The detail brush helps to agitate the cleaner, working up a lather and offering deeper penetration into the target area.
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Car and Driver has a long history of using Meguiar’s products. In that time, we’ve grown fond of their exceptional quality, and this carpet and upholstery cleaner holds true to those expectations. Its best features include an ergonomic spray-nozzle design, a pleasant citrus scent, and a dual-action trigger (offering a wide-angle spray for large areas or a precise stream for spot cleaning).
BUY at WALMART
CarGuys is a new brand to the world of automotive detailing, offering uncompromising quality. Though it claims to be more affordable than competitors, the Super Cleaner checks in as the most expensive on this list. However, this premium isn’t an arbitrary one. Super Cleaner is both biodegradable and eco-friendly and is safe for cleaning leather as well. With no need to rinse or vacuum, a neutral smell, and no residue left behind, Super Cleaner is truly an all-in-one product.
BUY at WALMART
Starting off from humble beginnings with only aluminum wheel polish, Mothers now offers the car community a comprehensive lineup of detailing products. Mothers Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner offers a gentle, pH-balanced formula that greatly aids in preventing colors from running. In our sampling of this product, we found a like-new finish and no trace of residue. We should also note that this product works well around the house, so take advantage of its massive 24-ounce capacity.
BUY at WALMART
With “tuff” in its name, we expected great things from this multipurpose cleaner, and it didn’t disappoint. Since it’s more utilitarian than others in this roundup, we decided to test this product on a large 10-year-old coffee stain on a chair in a staffer’s cubicle. We were shocked to find zero trace of said stain after scrubbing with Tuff Stuff, although we did need a vacuum to assist with the drying process. In addition to cleaning car upholstery and furniture, Tuff Stuff can be used around the house as a bathroom, carpet, and appliance cleaner.
BUY at WALMART
With the help of Oxi Magic, Armor All’s Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is a more narrowly focused cleaner than some of the others on our list, specializing in fabric, vinyl, carpet, and nonclear plastics. It leaves behind a bright clean-linen scent and zero residue. It’s easy to use, too: Just spray it on, let it sit, and blot it dry.
BUY at WALMART
In recent years, Chemical Guys has elevated itself to one of the premier automotive-detailing companies on the market. The Nonsense cleaner is odorless, pH balanced, safe on all surfaces (minus infotainment and gauge clusters), and dries with zero residue. The combination of these traits, in tandem with its high-power stain lifting, makes this cleaner the most versatile and arguably the best all-around product on the list.
BUY at WALMART
Some people prefer value and quantity over quality. Thankfully, with 3D’s carpet and upholstery cleaner, you won’t have to make that compromise. The shampoo comes concentrated in a 16-ounce bottle and requires that you dilute it: one part shampoo to 16 parts water. It also means that you aren’t buying the water that is typically mixed into cleaning sprays, just the shampoo.
BUY at WALMART
A concentrated shampoo from the vaunted Chemical Guys lineup. Using naturally occurring microbes, Fabric Clean breaks down stains and odors at a microscopic level without using harsh chemicals such as bleach and ammonia, thanks to its eco-friendly biodegradable formula. After use we found no trace of residue or stains, just the scent of a freshly squeezed lemon.
BUY at WALMART
Another great comprehensive detailing product, Ultima’s gel stands out among its peers on this list. Rather than a liquid or foam cleaning base, Ultima uses a gel-like liquid imbued with a solution that coats treated areas with an antibacterial shield dubbed Active Defense. Additionally, Ultima works on nearly all surfaces, including leather. We found that the formula easily dissolved stains, allowing them to be wiped away with no rinsing or vacuuming necessary.
BUY at WALMART
Turtle Wax is known for the affordability of its products, and Power Out is indeed the cheapest on this list. The 18-ounce Power Out can is fitted with a removable plastic brush attachment, making it easy to work the cleaner into target areas for better penetration and coverage. This product does have two negatives offsetting its low cost: It was the only cleaner that left a greasy coating on treated areas, and the cheap-feeling brush attachment showed that it could cause abrasive damage if used too aggressively.
BUY at WALMART
A cleaning brush that’s designed for upholstery is a great thing to have on hand when the spirit moves you to attack the dirt and stains that inevitably accumulate in your car’s interior over time. There are many good brushes available on the market, and this is a good example.
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