Best upholstery cleaners 2024 - the products to bring sparkle to your seats

Keeping your car’s bodywork looking smart is easy: you can do it yourself, or take it to the local car wash. But keeping your car’s interior clean can be a whole different story. 

Day-to-day use can be hard enough, perhaps getting in the car with dirty or wet clothes and leaving marks on the seats or door trims, for example. However, if you have children or dogs, it won’t be long until you have muddy footprints or the remains of drinks or snacks getting thrown into the mix. 

In this case, you’ll need a good quality upholstery cleaner to bring your grubby or stained fabrics back to life. We’re testing upholstery cleaners here and while some are designed specifically for soft fabrics only, others will also help you clean hard plastics and vinyl. However, all these cleaners should be able to take care of common marks and stains and bring your upholstery back to looking like new. 

But which offers the best combination of performance and value for money? Let’s find out…

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

Best overall upholstery cleaner – Halfords Advanced Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner 

Best performance – Autoglym Interior Shampoo

Best value for money – Carplan Demon Fabric

Best car upholstery cleaners 2024

1. Halfords Advanced Upholstery Cleaner – Best overall upholstery cleaner

What Car? Rating – 5/5

Pros
- Good price
- Nice smell 
- Decent performance

Cons
- Spray head leaks
- Could do better on coffee
- Needs effort on stubborn stains

Halford’s Advanced Carpet and Upholstery cleaner is just that – it’s designed for all soft fabrics so isn’t recommended for hard plastics at all. The promotional material says it lifts dirt and stains, leaving a pleasant fragrance on carpets, upholstery and roof linings. 

It smells nice, if a little old-school, and it goes on well with a wide, even spray pattern. However, the pump-spray trigger leaks a little, meaning you tend to get some on your hand when applying. Luckily there are no warning symbols on the bottle to suggest any allergy risk, although you may want to wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. 

The instructions say apply liberally then allow to dwell for 30 seconds before agitating with a brush, cloth or sponge; we chose the latter. It then says to wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth and dry with a second cloth. It goes on easily and brought the general dirt out well. When still damp, the surface came up nicely, although it didn’t completely remove the chocolate stain. 

Once the fabric had dried, it was clear that the Halfords product had done a generally good job, even if more effort might have had better results. The chocolate mark was still slightly evident, as was the coffee stain – although less-so than other products. 

Tester’s impression
“We’ve tried Halford’s regular product range before, but the Advanced version has a good quality feel to it. It went on well, smelled nice and was easy to work with. It didn’t banish all our stains, but still, it gave an impressive performance at a reasonable price.”

Buy it if
- The finished fragrance is important to you
- You want an even, clean result

Don't buy it if
- You want dry hands while applying
- You want the cheapest possible product

The facts

2. Autoglym Interior Shampoo – Best car upholstery cleaner performance

What Car? Rating – 5/5

Pros
- Renowned brand
- Reasonable price
- Cleans all interior

Cons
- Needs effort
- Not the cheapest

There’s a Ronseal approach to the naming of Autoglym’s Interior Shampoo, because it’ll clean almost every aspect of your car’s interior – seats, mats, dashboards, doors and headlining, and claims to remove marks, spills, dirt and stains. 

For fabrics, the instructions say to apply sparingly and agitate softly with a cloth or sponge, rinsing it frequently with water. For hard surfaces, you just spray on and wipe off. 

It applied nicely from the bottle and mostly soaked into the fabric, although it sat on top of our chocolate stain, so we weren’t sure how effective it would be. We found it was pretty ineffective when being worked with a dry sponge, although it was far better with a damp one, where it picked up dirt to be deposited in the water.

Quite a bit of effort was needed to get the chocolate out, but the coffee, cola and mud were easier. The result, when wet, seemed very even and with the majority of the dirt out. 

Once the seat had dried, several of the marks had become more apparent again. The chocolate was still slightly evident, although less so than most products here. The coffee and cola could still just be made out, but the overall result was good. 

Tester’s impression
“The Autoglym is a product that I initially didn’t have high hopes for after its dry-sponge performance, but with a damp sponge it lifted dirt well – as evidenced by the murky colour of the water used to rinse it. It put in a good performance, and more agitation and effort might have yielded an even better result.”

Buy it if
- You are prepared to put in some effort
- You like and trust a known brand

Don't buy it if
- You want a wipe-on, wipe-off product
- You want the cheapest product

The facts

3. Meguiar’s Carpet and Interior Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 4/5

Pros
- Recognised name
- Easy to use
- Decent performance

Cons
- Expensive
- Performance not as good as some
- Smell could be more powerful

Meguiar’s Carpet and Interior Cleaner claims it can remove dirt, coffee, lipstick, grease and oil, and will leave a non-sticky finish with a fresh smell, having eliminated lingering unpleasant odours. 

The instructions specify spraying it on and allow it to dwell for “at least 30 seconds”. It provides good even coverage from the pump spray, leaving you to wait, then wipe away with a clean, dry microfibre cloth. As you rotate the cloth using clean sections, it lifts dirt from the fabric effectively. Following the instructions, it removed the worst of the coffee and cola but there was some chocolate left in the surface of the fabric. 

Once the fabric was dry, the chocolate stain was still apparent, as was the coffee stain slightly, but the cola and dirt had largely been removed. Its performance was on par with several other products but at a much higher price, because it’s the most expensive here. 

Tester’s impression
“I must admit to a degree of scepticism at first; I didn’t believe that this product would be very effective with little in the way of agitation. However, it did a good job of breaking down the dirt and stains. The immediate results were good, though clearly some chocolate remained – more than with the Halfords or Autoglym.”

Buy it if
- You want an easy-to-use product
- You like a recognised and renowned brand

Don't buy it if
- You are budget conscious
- You want the ultimate performance

The facts

4. CarPlan Demon Fabric – Best value for money car upholstery cleaner

What Car? Rating – 3/5

Pros
- Great price
- Reasonable coverage 
- Decent performance

Cons
- Hard work
- Makes a mess
- Patchy results

Carplan’s Demon Fabric is exceptional value, and according to the promotional material, it is suitable for seats, carpets, roof linings and other upholstery – but no hard plastics. 

The instructions say to apply and work into the surface using a brush or a sponge before rinsing the area with a damp sponge or cloth, while rinsing regularly. 

It applies as a thick foam straight from the large bottle, in a narrow jet sitting on the surface to be cleaned, so covering the entire area is difficult – and if you do, it can mean saturating the surface, particularly once you start to work it in with a sponge. It requires quite a bit of effort with the sponge, particularly to get harder stains off, such as the chocolate.

The fabric will become wetter during rinsing because it requires quite a bit of water to remove the product, meaning it could be some time before you can use the vehicle again. However, the seat came up quite nicely, removing most of the chocolate and enough of the coffee and cola to make them all-but imperceptible. 

However, when the seat base had finally dried, the chocolate stain had become more apparent than when wet and there was still evidence of the coffee stain. And while the cola, dirt and general dirt had been removed well, the finish was patchy.

Tester’s insight
“I was slightly surprised when the Demon Fabric came out as a foam as nowhere does it say it will. You need to use quite a lot to get total coverage which, coupled with the need to rinse with a lot of water, meant our test van couldn’t be used until the following day because the upholstery was wet. Patchy performance, albeit at an incredibly low price.”

Buy it if
- You are on a budget 
- You don’t have an automotive retailer close by

Don't buy it if
- You want an easy-to-use product
- You want an even result

The facts

5. TurtleWax Total Interior Shampoo

What Car? Rating – 3/5

Pros
- Good price
- Decent coverage 
- Reasonable performance

Cons
- Needs a brush
- Could do better on coffee
- Patchy finish

TurtleWax says its Total Interior Shampoo is effective on coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate and ice cream and is “enzyme powered”, suggesting it should be good on biological marks as well. It has a pleasant smell – a linen scent, according to the packaging which is 100% recyclable. 

The instructions specify to spray liberally onto the surface and allow it to dwell for several minutes for the product to begin lifting and breaking-down dirt and stains. You then agitate with an interior brush, rather than the sponges or cloths recommended with the other cleaners here, and wipe the area clean with a damp microfibre cloth. 

It went on very easily from the spray bottle as a thin liquid. We applied liberally as specified and left it to dwell for three minutes before working in with an interior brush. With some scrubbing, the product began to lather-up and lift the stains and chocolate from the surface. After wiping, the chocolate came off well, although there were faint remains of the coffee stains on the still-damp surface. 

Once dried, it was clear that where this product had worked, it had done so well – but the results were quite patchy. It had removed general dirt from the base and side bolsters and there was some slight discolouration where the coffee stain had been. However, the chocolate was largely gone, as was the cola, and the overall effect was a reasonable finish. 

Tester’s insight
“I hoped for better results using a brush, compared with a sponge or cloth for all the other products here. Despite its claimed linen scent, there was little appreciable smell once finished.”

Buy it if
- You’re prepared to put some effort in
- You don’t mind a brush being used on your interior

Don't buy it if
- You don’t want to risk harsh treatment by brush
- You want the best overall results

The facts

6. TripleWax Diamond Fabric Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 3/5

Pros
- Low price
- Pleasant odour

Cons
- Needs effort
- Messy initial application
- Not the best performance

TripleWax’s Fabric Cleaner is designed to clean all fabrics in a car’s interior, including upholstery, carpets, roof linings and trim panels. It claims to not bleach fabrics and will leave a fresh linen scent behind. 

The instructions suggest it’s quite a labour-intensive process; apply to cover the area, work in with a sponge while wet, then remove with a clean, damp cloth, rinsing well between uses. 

In use, it comes out as a foam similar to the Carplan Demon Fabric shampoo so it sits on the surface, requiring some effort to spread it around and work it into the fabric. As a result, you may find you need to reapply to make sure you have sufficient coverage to get to all the dirt and stains. 

It appeared to do a good job of lifting general surface grubbiness and the chocolate stain, but we did have to work it fairly hard. It brought the surface up nicely, mainly thanks to the degree of work that had to be done. It got rid of most of the chocolate and while still wet, showed a nice, even surface clear of any stubborn stains or from hot or cold drinks. 

By the time the fabric had completely dried, the chocolate stain had reappeared slightly and there was faint shadowing where the coffee and the cola had been applied. 

Tester’s impression
“The foam nature of this one was a surprise – there was nothing on the packaging to suggest it would do so. The bottle has a slightly odd appearance – it feels more like a domestic cleaner for some reason — but once applied and spread out, it did a reasonable job of getting the marks off the Renault’s seats.”

Buy it if
- You are prepared to put in some effort
- You are on a budget

Don't buy it if
- You want a wipe-on, wipe-off product
- You don’t want a messy experience

The facts

7. Armor All Multi-Purpose cleaner

What Car? Rating – 2/5

Pros
- Decent price 
- All-in-one cleaner
- Renowned brand

Cons
- Not as effective as some
- Odour not particularly pleasant

ArmorAll’s multi-purpose cleaner really is that – you can use it not only on upholstery and fabrics but carpets, dashes, vinyl, plastics, glass and painted surfaces. The first two in the list of things it cleans off – sunscreen and insect repellent – suggest it is targeted at families with children, but it also promises to work on dirt and grime, with a stain-removing formula. 

The instructions suggest it’s an easy-to-use product: spray onto the surface (though it doesn’t say whether sparingly or liberally), allow it to penetrate the surface briefly and then wipe away with a damp cloth. It does say that stubborn stains might need more scrubbing. 

In use, it covered the seat nicely with an even pattern from the pump-spray head. It did a reasonable job of removing the coffee and cola stains as well as background grubbiness, but the chocolate stain was definitely still evident by the time we had finished wiping the product off and while still wet.

By the time the product had dried, the chocolate stain had become more apparent while remains of the coffee stain were still visible. It’s worth noting, however, that the ArmorAll can be used on hard plastics.

Tester’s impression
“The ArmorAll seems to be a jack-of-all-trades product, allowing you to clean almost every element of your interior. However, that flexibility cost it when it came to performance on our stained upholstery because it didn’t get as much general grubbiness or the deliberate staining out of the Renault’s seats as some other products here.”

Buy it if
- Your interior isn’t too dirty
- You want one product to clean the whole interior

Don't buy it if
- You want to get rid of ground-in dirt or stains
- You want a dedicated product

The facts

8. Diamondbrite Interior Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 2/5

Pros
- Nostalgic smell
- Cleans hard surfaces too

Cons
- Performance barely acceptable
- Multiple applications for stubborn stains
- Instructions too basic

Diamondbrite’s Interior Cleaner is an all-in-one product that will clean upholstery, carpets, trim and vinyl and rubber, meaning you only need one bottle. It promises to tackle not only ingrained dirt, but also emergency clean-ups.

The instructions suggest a very easy process; spray on enough to wet the fabric surface, then either wet-vacuum the area or remove the product and dirt with a sponge. It has a nice, fresh smell that is very similar to the mixture you get in kids’ bubble-blowing kits. 

From the pump spray, it goes on nicely although you need to take care not to squeeze the bottle, else the product will run out of the nozzle and onto your hands. However, there is no warning for skin irritation – only eyes – so you should be OK without gloves, although using eye protection is a good idea. The pump trigger has spray and jet functions, which are useful if you want a more concentrated or wider delivery. The spray pattern is wide and the product bubbles slightly when it hits the fabric surface. 

In use, the Diamondbrite seems the least effective of the products here. Post-cleaning, the chocolate stain was still noticeable, as was the coffee spill and it didn’t appear to bring the surface up as freshly as the others.

This became more apparent as the fabric dried, because the chocolate, coffee and cola stains were all still apparent, and the background dirt was noticeable in some areas. Like the ArmorAll, the DiamondBrite will also clean hard plastics. 

Tester’s impression
“The Diamondbrite was easy to use – the bottle was comfortable and worked well – and there was a faintly familiar and pleasing odour of bubble mixture. More agitation, longer dwell or further applications may improve the situation but as per the instructions, it didn’t really perform.”

Buy it if
- Your interior is grubby, not stained
- You want an easy-to-use product

Don't buy it if
- You are budget conscious
- You want good performance

The facts

How we tested upholstery cleaners

We divided the front seats of a Renault Trafic van into eight sections – one for each product. We split the driver’s seat base into two and the double passenger seat base into six. 

To ensure consistency of dirt, we added a selection of marks ourselves; a smear of melted milk chocolate, a measured quantity of cola, the same quantity of two-sugar espresso coffee and finally, a simulated muddy dog paw-print, formed with a washing-up sponge dipped in a mixture of mud and water. 

We allowed all the spills 24 hours to dry before we attempted to clean each of the eight sections with one of the products per section. We followed the products’ instructions and cleaned for the same amount of time. 

Once we had completed the cleaning and rinsing processes for each product, we set up an electric dehumidifier in the van to dry the fabrics so that we could compare the before and after finishes for each section to see which was most effective at removing the deliberate stains as well as background dirt. 

How we rated upholstery cleaners

Ease of use – Were the instructions clear and did we need any other equipment, such as microfibre cloths? Was the bottle easy to hold and use and did the product come out as an even spray? 

Ease of application – How quickly was the product absorbed into the fabric? Did the product seem to loosen the marks effectively? How much effort was needed with the cleaning clothes or sponges? Did we need to reapply the product for a second round of cleaning?

Effectiveness – How well did the cleaners lift the dirt from the upholstery? Did we need to wipe or scrub the dirt away? Did the product do the majority of the work, lifting the dirt or did we have to use effort to remove it?

How we test products

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

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