Revamp your furniture, carpets, and more with these tried-and-tested products.
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Spills and stains are inevitable. But with the help of an upholstery cleaner, you can revive everything from upholstered furniture to upholstered car interiors.
“You can use these wonder tools to clean couches, upholstered headboards, mattresses, and more without damage,” says Kathy Cohoon of Two Maids & A Mop. Plus, upholstery cleaners come in many forms, so you can find an option that meets your budget, storage, and cleaning needs.
To find the best upholstery cleaners, we tested 23 upholstery cleaning machines, upholstery cleaning solutions, and leather cleaning solutions side-by-side in our Lab. We used the upholstery cleaners to remove mustard, wine, soda, and marinara sauce from couch cushions and rugs, and the leather cleaners to remove foundation, chocolate, and sunscreen from leather pillows. During our tests, we evaluated each upholstery cleaner for performance, portability, ease of use, noise level, and overall value.
We previously tested 10 upholstery, carpet, and steam cleaners on dried ketchup and wet potting soil, and 21 carpet cleaners on potting soil, chocolate syrup, red wine, and coffee. We included top-performing products from both rounds of testing in this final selection. We also consulted two cleaning experts to round out our research.
This upholstery cleaner outperformed the pricier models we tested, and its simple grip handle, dual-tank design, and 22-foot cord make it easy to use.
Of the 22 total upholstery cleaners we tested, the Bissell SpotClean Pro offered the best performance at the best price. The upholstery cleaner removed wine and soda stains in just a few passes, and though it worked more slowly on marinara sauce and mustard—taking four to 16 passes—it still proved more efficient than cleaning by hand. (We needed 18 to 64 passes to achieve similar results.)
Using the upholstery cleaner is easy: Press the trigger to spray water and cleaning solution on a stain. Then, drag the tool over it to suck up the mess. The machine stores clean and dirty water in separate 96-ounce tanks, which outlasted our tests without getting refilled or emptied. And thanks to a built-in handle, 22-foot power cord, and 5-foot hose, the machine is easy to lift and ideal for cleaning small to medium rooms. The model also comes with two attachments—a 3-inch tool and a 6-inch tool—but the 3-inch tool worked so well that we never switched it out.
At 93 decibels, the machine is the loudest on our list. And it left our upholstery damper than other models. But for the price, it still feels like a steal, and we recommend it to anyone who wants an effective upholstery cleaner.
Weight: 13 pounds | Tank Capacity: 96 ounces | Cord Length: 22 feet | Surface Type: Upholstery, carpet, stairs, and car interiors
This model is small, portable, and effective—a great option for small spaces and minor messes.
It could be more effective at removing tough stains.
If you don’t want to spend a fortune on an upholstery cleaner, the Dirt Devil Portable Spot Cleaner is a great pick. This small but mighty machine impressed in our tests, cutting through wine and soda stains in three to four passes—almost as fast as our top pick.
Like the Bissell SpotClean, this upholstery cleaner works by spraying stains and using suction to remove them but has one water tank, instead of two. Thanks to this design, this upholstery cleaner is smaller and lighter than other models, weighing just 11 pounds. While its tank holds just 19 ounces, we never had to stop mid-test to empty it.
The upholstery cleaner is also much quieter than our overall favorite. While we were impressed with this cleaner, it felt like a budget buy at times. It struggled to remove the mustard and marinara stains, and its 15-foot power cord offered less reach than pricier alternatives. For this reason, we think the Dirt Devil Portable Spot Cleaner is best for minor messes and small spaces.
Weight: 11 pounds | Tank Capacity: 19 ounces | Cord Length: 15 feet | Surface Type: Upholstery and carpet
It rivals our top pick in design and performance but comes with more attachments—including one for pet hair.
It's one of the more expensive models on our list.
Pet owners have to clean up frequent messes and dander, and thanks to the wide range of attachments on the Hoover CleanSlate XL, this spot cleaner can handle it all. In our tests, the upholstery cleaner worked about as well as our overall favorite, cutting through every stain in two to five passes. We were particularly impressed by its rubber brush attachment, which combs through the carpet to deep-clean spills and stains.
Like our top pick, this upholstery cleaner has a 96-ounce tank, 22-foot power cord, and 5-foot hose—giving you more cleaning time with fewer interruptions. But since it weighs 11 pounds and has a built-in handle, it’s as portable as our budget-friendly favorite. The upholstery cleaner also comes with several handy attachments, including a rubber brush for pet hair, a crevice tool for stairs, and a wide cleaning head that covers lots of ground quickly.
This best-of-both-world design comes at a price: The CleanSlate XL is one of the most expensive options on our list (rivaled only by our favorite carpet cleaner). But for the price, you get a machine that’s effective, adaptable, and easy to carry—a great go-to for cleaning up after pets.
Weight: 11 pounds | Tank Capacity: 96 ounces | Cord Length: 22 feet | Surface Type: Upholstery and carpet
Its lightweight, cordless design makes it easy to carry around and great for tough-to-reach messes.
Its battery only lasts 15 minutes, and it’s not great on dirt and chocolate stains.
When we put 21 top-notch carpet cleaners to the test, this stain remover was our favorite portable model. The cleaner quickly removed fresh coffee stains, set-in wine stains, and smelly pet stains from the medium-pile carpet we tested it on. And it stood out for its portability: The handheld stain remover is cordless, lightweight, and easy to use, so it’s perfect for cleaning your car.
At 3.3 pounds, this cleaner is the lightest on our list (aside from the cleaning sprays). Its rechargeable battery runs for 15 minutes, and it takes four hours to charge between uses. That doesn’t give you much uninterrupted cleaning time, but the cordless design lets you travel farther and target tough-to-reach messes, so we think the tradeoff is worth it.
Unlike other upholstery cleaners, this one relies solely on cleaning solution, so you don’t have to mix in water. It comes with two small bottles of stain remover, as well as a removable scrub brush. In our tests, we found the cleaner remarkably quiet and easy to set up. And while it lost some points for effectiveness—it struggled to remove some dirt and chocolate stains in our tests—we think its portable design and pound-for-pound performance make it a great buy.
Weight: 3.3 pounds | Tank Capacity: 8 ounces | Cord Length: Cordless | Surface Type: Upholstery, carpet, and flooring
It cuts through stains with minimal scrubbing and makes leather upholstery look brand new.
Its instructions could be clearer.
This Furniture Clinic leather cleaning kit works like a dream—it cut through every stain we tested, removing sunscreen immediately, syrup in 20 seconds, and foundation in 40 seconds. Plus, it never required much effort or elbow grease. Best of all, the kit made our upholstery look brand new, while some leather cleaners we tried left behind cracks, discolored spots, and residue, this one did nothing of the sort. Instead, it hydrated and restored our leather upholstery, leaving it soft, supple, and looking brand-new.
The leather cleaning kit includes a cleaning solution, a leather conditioner, a sponge, and a cloth. Even after reading the instructions thoroughly, we weren’t sure what to use first. Once we got the hang of it, the kit proved effective and easy to use and we appreciated that its citrusy scent didn’t linger for too long.
The kit is more expensive than our favorite upholstery cleaning spray but also comes with more materials and cleaning power than most. Given its performance, we think it’s worth every penny—and capable of saving you money on upholstery cleaning, car detailing, and more.
Weight: 2.2 pounds | Tank Capacity: N/A | Cord Length: N/A | Surface Type: Leather
This spray is budget-friendly, easy to use, and cuts through tough stains in minutes.
It requires more elbow grease than an upholstery cleaning machine.
This Bissell pretreat spray loosens set-in stains so they’re easier to clean. During testing, it took us between 20 seconds and two minutes to clean up wine, soda, and marinara sauce stains. The spray only failed to cut through the mustard stains we tested it on—but even the upholstery cleaning machines we tested struggled with that.
The spray bottle is lightweight and easy to use, and you can twist its nozzle to control its spray strength. To use the cleaner, spray the solution on a stain and let it sit for three to five minutes. Then, clean the stain by hand or with an upholstery cleaning machine. To see the full capabilities of the pretreat spray, we opted to clean stains by hand. The results were so great that we can only imagine what this spray could do when paired with an upholstery machine.
The cleaning spray doesn’t have a noticeable scent, so we think it's a good option for people sensitive to smells. It comes in an affordable 12-ounce bottle—making it an ideal pick for people with tight budgets or small spaces.
Weight: 1.5 pounds | Tank Capacity: N/A | Cord Length: N/A | Surface Type: Upholstery and carpet
The Bissell SpotClean Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner is our top pick because it offers the best performance at the best price. During our tests, it effectively removed most stains in just a few passes. It’s also easy to use, thanks to its dual-tank design, long power cord, and built-in handle.
To find the best upholstery cleaners, we tested 23 upholstery cleaning machines, upholstery cleaning solutions, and leather cleaning solutions side-by-side in our Lab. To start, we followed assembly instructions for each device, timing how long each took to set up.
We then applied mustard, red wine, dark soda, and marinara sauce to a series of carpets and couch cushions and let those stains sit for 20 minutes. We used each machine on its own carpet and couch cushion, noting how many passes it took to lift each stain and how damp it left the upholstery. We did the same with upholstery cleaning solutions, measuring how long they took (in seconds) to remove each stain. We also stained leather pillows with foundation, chocolate syrup, mineral sunscreen, and chemical sunscreen and tested leather cleaning solutions on these pillows, noting how long it took (in seconds) to lift each stain.
Meanwhile, we took note of each upholstery cleaner’s portability and usability, including its weight and whether or not it required frequent refilling. We also measured the noise level of each upholstery cleaning machine with a decibel reader. Afterward, we saw the price of each cleaner, and scored its overall value.
We previously tested 10 upholstery, carpet, and steam cleaners in our Lab using a similar system. The day before that test, we stained light-colored cushions with ketchup and wet potting soil and let them set overnight. The next day, we used each machine to tackle its own stained cushion, timing how long it took to remove the stain and noting whether the material suffered any damage.
Most upholstery cleaners are small, handheld appliances that lift stains using cleaning solution, water, and scrub brushes, and then remove that liquid using vacuum suction. These upholstery cleaners are often effective and easy to use, and many come with accessories that make them more versatile. (Most of our favorite upholstery cleaners fall into this category.)
You can also find upholstery cleaning sprays, which are lightweight, budget-friendly, and easy to use. These rarely come with accessories or suction elements, so you’ll have to scrub the stains away and blot them dry yourself.
For heavy-duty cleaning jobs, you can find upright upholstery cleaners, which resemble vacuum cleaners, and are designed to tackle wall-to-wall carpeting. You can also find some steam cleaners that are safe to use on upholstery. (Always refer to the manufacturer's guidance to see which surfaces a device can be used on.)
Given their versatility, we think portable upholstery cleaners are the best choice for most residential cleaning jobs. But upholstery cleaning sprays are a budget-friendly alternative, while steam cleaners are the most versatile option since you can often use them on upholstery, carpets, and different types of flooring. “Always look for what works best for you,” says Cohoon. “Work within your budget to find a machine that is comfortable, lightweight, and can be used for what you need it for most.”
Be sure the upholstery cleaner you choose is compatible with whatever fabric type you're looking to clean. The same goes for choosing a cleaning solution, too. Upholstered furniture uses a code system that notes what type of cleaning agents and processes are safe for different fabrics. Refer to the care tag on your furniture for the code:
It's generally a good idea to test a cleaner out on a small, inconspicuous area first, to ensure there's no color running or fabric degradation.
Large upholstery cleaners tend to have longer cords, more powerful motors, and bigger tanks, so they can travel farther, clean faster, and run longer between refills. But according to the two experts we spoke with, portability is just as important as power. Lightweight machines are easier to use, carry around, and maneuver, helping you clean upholstery in hard-to-reach areas.
“With upholstery cleaners, portability is key,” Cohoon says. “So before buying one, make sure you can pick it up and maneuver it.” Look for a lightweight upholstery cleaner with a long power cord, or find a cordless option (like a cleaning spray or battery-powered handheld model).
“Attachments are essential for versatility,” cleaning expert Will Cotter says. “So look for a cleaner that offers a range of attachments suitable for different surfaces and cleaning jobs.” Most upholstery cleaners come with at least one attachment, like a stain tool that sprays cleaning solution, a scrub brush that deep-cleans stains, or a crevice tool that targets hard-to-reach areas.
Steam cleaners come with even more attachments, like brushes, mop heads, squeegees, and more. And upholstery cleaning sprays may not come with any. (While our favorite overall upholstery cleaner, the Bissell SpotClean Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner, comes with two attachments, our favorite upholstery cleaner spray, Bissell’s OXY Stain Pretreat Spray has no attachments.)
“Most upholstery cleaners use a combination of water, cleaning solution, and gentle scrubbing to loosen dirt, stains, and odors from fabric,” Cotter says. The dirty water and solution is then extracted from the upholstery using vacuum suction.
Upholstery cleaning sprays work similarly: You spray stains with a cleaning solution and scrub them yourself. Steam cleaners, on the other hand, loosen dirt and disinfect surfaces using pressurized steam. (These generally don't feature vacuum suction because the high-heat steam dries very quickly.) “The specific mechanism varies, but the goal remains the same—to breathe new life into your upholstery and keep it looking its best,” Cotter adds.
Most upholstery cleaners are designed to spot-treat stains as needed. But to keep the fabric in tip-top shape, experts recommend deep-cleaning your upholstery twice a year. If you live in a home with kids, pets, or frequent visitors, you might want to clean it more often—about three or four times a year.
Waiting too long to clean your upholstery can cause dirt, dust, and odors to build up. But cleaning your upholstery too often can wear out the fabric. So the key is finding a cleaning schedule that works for you. “Strive for a balance, listen to your upholstery's needs, and adapt your cleaning routine accordingly,” Cotter says.
“If you have upholstered furniture, especially in areas with high foot traffic, kids, or pets, owning an upholstery cleaner can be a game-changer,” Cotter says. “It gives you the power to tackle spills, stains, and accumulated dirt promptly, extending the life of your furniture.” But if you don’t have much upholstery or would prefer to get yours cleaned professionally, an upholstery cleaner may not be a must-have. “It ultimately boils down to convenience, budget, and your personal preference for taking care of your upholstery,” Cotter adds.
This article was written by Melanie Fincher and updated by Lindsey Lanquist. To find the best upholstery cleaners, we tested 23 upholstery cleaners side-by-side in our Lab, assessing each model for effectiveness, ease of use, portability, noise level, and overall value. Using these insights—and results from previous upholstery, carpet, and steam cleaner tests—we made our final picks. We also tapped cleaning experts Kathy Cohoon of Two Maids & A Mop and Will Cotter of HappyCleans for further advice and recommendations.
Next to each product on this list, you may have noticed a Real Simple Selects seal of approval. Any product appearing alongside that seal has been vetted by our team—put through tests and graded on its performance to earn a spot on our list. Although we buy most of the products we test, sometimes we do get samples from companies if purchasing a product ourselves isn’t an option. All products go through the same rigorous process, whether they are purchased or sent by the company.
Love our recommendations? Check out more products that have earned the Real Simple Selects, from humidifiers to cordless vacuums.
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