Sometimes your car becomes your second home. That’s why the seats (fabric or leather) deserve the same attention as the sofas and chairs in your living room. Spilled drinks, dirty paw prints, ink stains, etc. can make your car’s interior look worn and unkempt. And no matter how clean the car looks on the outside, no one wants to drive around in a dirty car. Luckily, car upholstery fabrics are durable and easy to clean. Many products designed for upholstery cleaning are also good for this purpose. Some brands also make professional interior cleaners that make quality car cleaning and care products that you can store in your garage with your other car accessories.
When we test car interior cleaners in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Cleaning Lab, we first go straight to the source and test them on our own naturally soiled car seats. Scientists, staff, and consumers evaluate effectiveness, ease of use, labeling, and safety using the same criteria we use for any upholstery cleaner. We also check online reviews and review brands of other car care products we’ve tested and liked.
With over 16,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, this Car Guys Super Cleaner can clean both leather and fabric seats. That was enough to convince me to rate it as a top pick overall. Car Guys doesn’t make a lot of car care products, but that’s the point. According to the brand, one upholstery cleaner is all you need, and consumers agree. Some call it a “stain remover!”
This cleaner comes with a microfiber cloth to remove stains and clean hard surfaces like door panels and steering wheels. According to the manufacturer, this cleaner is water-based and does not require rinsing, but after spraying and wiping with the cloth, you will need a separate towel to wipe and blot the stain. It is also not recommended for use on glass or precision control panels.
The Armor All name is synonymous with car care. We’ve tested Armor All wipes, detergents, and other cleaning products and found them effective and easy to use, so we’re confident this upholstery cleaner will work just as well.
This cleaner sprays out as a foam that can penetrate dirt and stains, lift them, and remove them. The brush attached to the can can be removed for tough stains, and a small amount of foam goes a long way, making it worth the money. Customers also like this cleaner, which has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, but it must be rinsed thoroughly after cleaning to remove the foam, and it is not suitable for leather upholstery.
In our lab cleaning tests, Rocco & Roxie’s formula performed very well at removing stains from the fabrics we tested, especially spaghetti sauce, chocolate syrup, wine and mustard. Plus, because it contains enzymes, it effectively removes odors from organic stains like urine, vomit and spilled milk, making it ideal for cars where pets and children frequent.
“It did a great job of eliminating odors and removing stains after my dog ​​had an accident on the carpet,” said one of our consumer testers. It has the Carpet & Rug Institute Seal of Approval, meaning the industry group deemed it won’t damage carpets, and it has more than 78,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.
Rocco & Roxie is suitable for both hard and soft surfaces, but the instructions say it may take an hour or more to completely remove deep-rooted odours.
Leather can enhance the quality of your car’s interior, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to maintain. Stains can usually be quickly wiped away, and dirt can be removed with ease, especially with a system like Furniture Clinic’s GH Seal star leather care kit. Not only does it remove dirt, it also prevents future stains.
In my tests, the cleaner removed grime that had been ingrained into the leather and even blue dye from jeans that had landed on the passenger seat of my Jeep. I then tried the cleaner on a leather door panel that had greasy fingerprints on it and it quickly returned to its original condition. This protectant leaves the leather soft and shiny.
While it’s a two-step process, we love that Furniture Clinic isn’t just for leather furniture: It’s safe to use on bags, shoes, jackets, and more.
Wipes are a quick and easy way to clean any surface, and Weiman Leather Care Wipes are no exception. Just a few swipes remove dirt, leaving behind conditioners and protectors that keep leather seats, consoles, dashboards, and more soft and supple. It also protects leather from the sun’s harmful rays, thanks to its UVX sunscreen.
In our testing of GH Seal, we found that the wipes worked quickly and effectively on all the leather seats, bags, and even shoes we treated. And because the wipes come in a convenient package, they’re easy to stash in your trunk or cargo area so you’ll always have them handy in case of spills or other mishaps. Keep in mind that the wipes will dry out over time if left in an open can without being used.
Even if your car’s interior looks clean, it can still harbor lingering odors from pets, sports equipment, or spilled food and drinks. Many Febreze products are GH Seal certified, like the car vent clips, which ranked highly in our roundup of the best car air fresheners. This powerful Febreze fabric spray contains 40% more odor-eliminating ingredients than its standard spray counterpart, so we’re confident it can eliminate stubborn odors from your car’s interior.
Febreze doesn’t just mask odors and then make them reappear. Instead, it encapsulates the odor molecules, making them undetectable. Simply spray an even layer onto fabric until slightly damp, then let air dry. Also works on carpet and trunk, but not leather.
Long before Bissell’s Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner became a TikTok sensation, we’ve tested it many times in the GH Cleaning Lab. I’m including it here because it cleans and removes stains from fabrics so well, and its specs are perfect for cleaning your car.
Its slim, rectangular shape fits easily into the space behind the front seats. The 4-foot hose has a unique crevice tool that gets into the crevices and cracks of the seats that other machines can’t. The large water tank means less frequent refills and emptying, the large top handle makes it easy to carry, and the hydro-flushing tool has proven very handy for flushing debris out of the hose. The Little Green is a bit noisy, and you may need an extension cord to reach the back of the car.
When we test car interior cleaners in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Cleaning Lab, we go out into driveways and garages to evaluate their performance on our own naturally soiled car seats, and ask staff and consumers to do the same when necessary. We use the same criteria for cleaning performance, stain removal, and ease of use as any interior or household upholstery cleaner. Consumer testers provide us with feedback via online surveys.
We reviewed the labels, directions, and safety warnings for each product. We tested them on other recommended surfaces, like steering wheels and door trim, and in the lab, applying them to stains on rough fabrics and leather. We also checked online reviews and reviewed brands of other car care products we tested and liked.
✔️ Form: Car interior cleaners come in sprays, foams, liquids, creams, and even wipes. Consider which one you find easiest, cleanest, and most convenient to use. Targeted sprays are usually best for spot treatment, while foams and creams are easier to apply to larger areas. Wipes are the most convenient to use and are best for quick repairs.
✔️ Surfaces: Most car interior cleaners are designed to clean fabric or leather, so choose based on what your car seats are covered with. Some cleaners, like our Car Guys picks, can clean both types of cars and may be a better choice for a household with multiple cars with different seat materials. Most products designed for fabric seats can also be used to clean carpets, as well as trunks and cargo areas. Always test a cleaner on an inconspicuous area before treating the entire seat.
✔️ Ingredients: Additional ingredients in cleaning formulas such as enzymes, deodorants, conditioners, UV protectants, etc. help the product combat serious problems that often occur in the car interior. Make your choice based on the problem you need to solve and the protection you want to provide.
Of course, it depends on how often you use your car and how often you eat and drink in it. But even the cleanest car can have leaks, so it’s best to be prepared to avoid making a mess. Wipe up spills immediately and remove any dust or dirt that’s soaked in to prevent it from setting in. Treat dried stains as soon as you notice them, and vacuum regularly to remove fine dust and debris. If you use your car often, deep clean the interior at least two to three times a year, or whenever you give the interior and exterior a thorough wash.
Some might! Most cleaners will leave your car smelling nice after cleaning, but if you need to remove a strong odor, like pet odor or spilled milk, look for a cleaner with enzymes, like Rocco & Roxie. Enzymes kill the bacteria that cause these stubborn odors. If you just need to remove odor, use an effective fabric deodorizer, like Febreze Fabric Heavy Duty.
As CEO, Carolyn Forte oversees all testing at the Home Care & Cleaning Lab. Over the years, she’s tested and reviewed hundreds of vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, upholstery cleaners, stain removers, and other large (and small) home appliances. She also served as the director of the Textile Lab at the GH Research Institute for 16 years, so she has extensive experience working with, evaluating, and analyzing a wide range of fibers and fabrics. While her husband is meticulous about keeping his car clean, he relies on her to handle tough tasks like removing blue paint from the leather seats of her new jeans.
Carolyn Forte has over 40 years of experience as a consumer product expert and is the executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care & Cleaning Lab. She provides cleaning and home care advice for GH using her in-depth analytical testing and writing experience on appliances, cleaning products, textiles, and organizational products, has written numerous books and publications for the brand, and co-hosts the Discover Cleaning Summits in partnership with the American Housekeeping Institute. She holds a BA in Family & Consumer Science from Queens College, City University of New York.
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