Battle for the Best Upholstery Cleaner: 10 Natural Homemade Upholstery Cleaners Tested & Rated

Need to clean your home or car upholstery? I tested 10 homemade upholstery cleaner tutorials to find the best solution. The winning mix is an all-natural cleaner that works well and removes upholstery stains with only 3 simple ingredients. Plus I’ll reveal the best dry upholstery cleaner and best upholstery stain remover.

My husband and I started our marriage with very little furniture of our own. We had a hand-me-down couch from friends, our bedroom furniture, and a tiny kitchen table inherited from his parents.

After moving across the country (from Washington state to Washington D.C.) we invested in a dining room table for our formal dining room.

We were DELIGHTED with our first “grown up” furniture purchase!

Fast forward 18 years… that table and chair set has been through seven moves, two kids, and three pets. It’s served many purposes including homework desk, craft station, Thanksgiving dining table, birthday party location, and more.

And, honestly, it was looking ready for Craigslist!

The cream-colored upholstered seats were dingy and spotted with food stains, blobs of color left by paint and markers, ink and pencil marks, grape juice splotches, and many more mystery spots.

Before giving the dining set up for good I decided to give it a deep cleaning. Step one was finding a natural upholstery cleaner that would make the fabric covered seats look like new.

Cleaning Upholstery

Upholstery cleaning can be a lot of work! It takes time and elbow grease to remove set in stains and grime.

I was determined to find an easy to use cleaning solution that could remove stains and discolorations without using toxic ingredients.

My search uncovered many conflicting opinions and cleaners with vastly different ingredients. What’s a green cleaning lover to do?

Conduct a natural upholstery cleaner test!

*I must confess: I’m becoming a little addicted to testing homemade cleaners! (I’ve also tested natural grout cleaners and non-toxic oven cleaners.) I love finding which of the cleaners work best and which are a cleaning disaster.

The Upholstery Cleaner Experiment

I decided to try the eight most popular upholstery cleaners on Pinterest to find the best homemade solution.

Methodology

I tested each upholstery cleaner on the same surface (my dining room chairs) and used the same process to test each cleaner:

1. I divided the chairs into sections using painters tape and numbered each section with s sticky note.
2. I mixed a batch of upholstery cleaner, applied it to a section of chair and followed the instructions for the cleaner.
3. I repeated step 2 seven more timesusing a different section of chair.
4. Finally, I waited overnight for the chairs to dry completely and then recorded the results.

Upholstery Cleaner Results

The results of the cleaning test were a bit of a shock… NONE of the cleaners met my standards of cleaning well and being easy to use.

• Two worked well but took multiple rinsing to remove the cleaner and lots of drying time.
• Two cleaned well but made a huge mess.
• Two didn’t do much cleaning at all.
• Two were great stain removers but not great overall cleaners.

I went back to the drawing board, adjusted the two best cleaners so they would be easier to rinse, and then retested.

Both of the new upholstery cleaners (cleaners 9 and 10) are easy to use and clean well.

Score one for the green cleaning nerd!

The Tested Upholstery Cleaners

Upholstery Cleaner #1

Ingredients: 1/2 cup dish soap, 1 cup hydrogen peroxide (3%)

Directions: Lightly spray the upholstery. Let the upholstery cleaner sit on the fabric for 2-3 minutes. Scrub gently with microfiber cloth or rag. If the fabric feels soapy wet and gently blot.

Results: Too many bubbles! I had to rinse the fabric multiple times and eventually resorted to using my steam cleaner and shop vac to suck the seats dry. The fabric was clean when I finished but the process took hours. I would not clean a larger surface with this cleaner.

Why this cleaner doesn’t work: 1) This cleaner contains an overwhelming amount of detergent which makes the fabric extremely soapy. Any residue left behind can make fabric feel crunchy and attract more dirt. 2) Using too much water to rinse when cleaning upholstery can leave a musty smell or damage metal zippers, wood furniture components, etc.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #2

Ingredients: 1 cup club soda, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup dish detergent

Directions: Mix cleaner in spray bottle, spray onto upholstery until surface is lightly soaked. Let rest for a few minutes. Scrub lightly with a brush in a circular motion. Spray with water and suck dry with steam cleaner or shop vac.

Results: Too much detergent! I had to spray the fabric with water multiple times to rinse and then vacuum dry. ( I moved from using my mini Bissel to my powerful shop vac since it had more suction.) The fabric was quite clean when I finished but it was a long, hard process.

Why this cleaner doesn’t work: 1) This cleaner contains an overwhelming amount of detergent which makes the fabric extremely soapy. Any residue left behind can make fabric feel crunchy and attract more dirt. 2) Using too much water to rinse when cleaning upholstery can leave a musty smell or damage metal zippers, wood furniture components, etc.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #3

Ingredients: 1 tbsp dish soap, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 2 cups hot water, baking soda

Directions: Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and wait 10 minutes. Vacuum up baking soda. Mix the dish soap, vinegar, and water in a spray bottle. Lightly soak fabric, blot dry.

Results: This mixture did not do much to clean and remove stains. This may be because it contains such a small amount of vinegar. I would not use it again.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #4 (Best Upholstery Stain Remover)

Ingredients: 1 c rubbing alcohol, 1 c white vinegar

Directions: Mix ingredients together in spray bottle. Spray fabric surface generously with cleaner and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Scrub vigorously with a sponge or clean towel, then allow to dry. Repeat if needed.

Results: This mixture helped to remove the paints and ink stains. However the solution did not do much to clean the fabric in general. I would use this cleaner to spot treat difficult stains. (Warning: Do not use alcohol on acetate, triacetate, modacrylic, and acrylic fibers.)

Why this cleaner works (and doesn’t work): 1) Alcohol-based cleaners can effectively remove paint, ink and tough stains from fabric. 2) Vinegar is a weak acid that breaks down basic dirts and naturally eliminates odors at it dries. 3) The solution did not do much to clean the overall fabric because it does not contain any detergents to break down dirt and oils.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #5

Ingredients: 1 tbsp white vinegar, 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol

Directions: Mix ingredients together in spray bottle. Spray fabric surface generously with cleaner and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Scrub with clean rag, allow to dry. Repeat if needed.

Results: Like cleaner #4 this mixture helped to remove ink stains because it contains rubbing alcohol, but it did not clean the fabric in general. I would skip this cleaner and simply use a few drops of plain rubbing alcohol to treat stains. (Warning: Do not use alcohol on acetate, triacetate, modacrylic, and acrylic fibers.)

 

Upholstery Cleaner #6 (Best Dry Upholstery Cleaner)

Ingredients: 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup cornstarch,  small amount of water

Directions: Combine the ingredients with just enough water to form a thick paste. Apply to fabric and allow to dry (this should take about half an hour). When the paste is dry vacuum the fabric clean. (You can also mix baking soda and cornstarch, sprinkle on, wait about an hour and vacuum clean.)

Results: I was amazed at how well this cleaner lifted out some fabric stains! You could see spots rising to the surface of the cleaner. This cleaner works well for light cleaning and on delicate upholstery that should not get too wet.

Why this cleaner works: 1) Baking sodais a basic cleaner that is mildly abrasive so it breaks down acidic dirts and odors.  2) Cornstarch is excellent at absorbing moisture, oil and smells.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #7

Ingredients: 1 tsp dish soap, 16 ounces water, hydrogen peroxide (50% solution), Baking soda

Directions:  Combine dish soap and water in one spray bottle, combine equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water in a second bottle to create a 50% solution. Spray fabric with soap water until lightly saturated, spray evenly with hydrogen peroxide solution, and sprinkle with baking soda. Use hand or cloth to spread baking soda evenly across the surface. Allow to dry overnight. Vacuum clean.

Results: This cleaner did a great job removing stains and brightening the fabric overall. However, it was extremely messy to apply and hard to vacuum clean. I would not use this cleaner on dark fabrics as it could bleach them. It would also be difficult to remove from large surfaces.

Why this cleaner works: 1) Dish washing detergent cuts through dirt and greasy grime. 2) Hydrogen peroxideis a natural alternative to bleach that brightens fabric and lightens the color of tough stains. 3) Baking sodais a basic cleaner that is mildly abrasive so it breaks down acidic dirts and odors.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #8

Ingredients: 1 tsp dish soap, 16 ounces water, Hydrogen peroxide (100% solution), Baking soda

Directions:  Combine dish soap and water in one spray bottle, pour hydrogen peroxide into dark spray bottle. Spray fabric with soap water until lightly saturated, spray evenly with hydrogen peroxide, and sprinkle with baking soda. Use hand or cloth to spread baking soda evenly across the surface. Allow to dry overnight. Vacuum clean.

Results: This cleaner did a great job removing stains and brightening the fabric (it brightened even more than the 50% solution). However, it was extremely messy to apply and vacuum clean. I would not use this cleaner on dark fabrics as it could bleach them too much. It would also be difficult to remove from large surfaces.

Why this cleaner works: 1) Dish washing detergent cuts through dirt and greasy grime. 2) Hydrogen peroxideis a natural alternative to bleach that brightens fabric and lightens the color of tough stains. 3) Baking sodais a basic cleaner that is mildly abrasive so it breaks down acidic dirts and odors.

The Reworked (and Retested) Cleaners

Upholstery Cleaner #9 (Best General Upholstery Cleaner)

Ingredients: 1 c water or club soda (I tested both water and club soda, both worked well), ½ c white vinegar, ½ Tbsp natural dish soap

Directions: Mix cleaner in spray bottle, spray onto upholstery until surface is lightly soaked. Let rest for a few minutes. Scrub lightly with a brush or rag in a circular motion. Spray with water and suck dry with shop vac.

Results: This is my revised version of cleaner #2. It is a water-based cleaner that works well and eliminates the problem of too much soap/foam. This is a great, general upholstery cleaner.

Why this cleaner works: 1) Water breaks up and dissolve substances allowing them to be swept away. 2) Vinegaris a mild acid that breaks down basic soils and neutralizes odor causing particles. 3) Dish washing detergent cuts through dirt and greasy grime.

 

Upholstery Cleaner #10 (Best Brightening Upholstery Cleaner)

Ingredients: 1 c hydrogen peroxide (3%), ½ Tbsp natural dish soap

Directions: Mix cleaner in spray bottle, spray onto upholstery until surface is lightly soaked. Let rest for a few minutes. Scrub lightly with a brush or rag in a circular motion. Spray with water and suck dry with shop vac.

Results: This is my revised version of cleaner #1. It cleans and brightens well and eliminates the problem of too much soap. I would not use this cleaner on dark fabrics as it could bleach them too much. This is a good upholstery cleaner for light fabrics that need brightening and stain removal.

Why this cleaner works:  1) Hydrogen peroxideis a natural alternative to bleach that brightens fabric and lightens the color of tough stains. 2) Dish washing detergent cuts through dirt and greasy grime. 3) Water breaks up and dissolve substances allowing them to be swept away.

 

Which Upholstery Cleaner Is Best?

There are a wide range of upholstery fabrics so there are several different cleaners that work well:

• The best general upholstery cleaner: 1 cup of water or club soda, ½ cup white vinegar, ½ tablespoon of natural dish soap (cleaner #10)

• The best brightening upholstery cleaner for light colored fabric: 1 cup hydrogen peroxide (3%) mixed with ½ tablespoon natural dish soap (cleaner #9)

• The best dry upholstery cleaner: equal parts of baking soda and cornstarch (cleaner #6).

• The best upholstery spot remover: 1 cup of rubbing alcohol and 1 cup of white vinegar (cleaner #4).

• The best way to clean car seats: Vacuum seats well, spray lightly with upholstery cleaner (1 cup of water or club soda, ½ cup white vinegar, ½ tablespoon of natural dish soap), let cleaner sit for 5 minutes, rub fabric in a circular motion with a soft brush or clean microfiber rag. Spray lightly with water and suck dry with a steam cleaner or shop vac. Allow to dry. (This method should be used on fabric car seats only.)

• How to deodorize upholstery: There are 3 great ways to deodorize upholstery. 1) Spray with homemade refresher spray 2) Sprinkle with a mixture of cornstarch, baking soda, and a few drops of essential oils (get full instructions) 3) Spritz lightly with a 50% solution of white vinegar and 50% water (add a few drops of essential oils if desired), allow to dry.

How to Make Upholstery Cleaner

This easy homemade upholstery cleaner with just 3 ingredients can make any fabric covered surface look brand new.

• Ingredients: 1 c water or club soda (I used club soda), ½ c white vinegar, ½ Tbsp natural dish soap
• Directions: Mix cleaner in spray bottle. Use immediately or store up to one month in a cool location.

How to Use Upholstery Cleaner

Spray upholstery cleaner onto fabric surface to lightly saturate. Let rest for a few minutes. Scrub lightly with a brush or rag in a circular motion. Spray lightly with water or wipe with wet cloth and blot dry or vacuum dry with shop vac or steam cleaner.

Upholstery Cleaning Tips

• Spot test the cleaner. There are many, many types of fabric used in upholstery. It is always a good idea to test a small, hidden spot before applying the cleaner to the entire surface.

• Use as little cleaner as possible. It is easy to add more cleaner, it is hard to remover too much cleaner from upholstered surfaces. Start with a little solution and add more as needed.

• Protect other surfaces. My floor got a great cleaning during this test! (It was swept, scrubbed and rinsed multiple time to remove excess upholstery cleaner.) Make your life easier by covering areas you do not want to clean with a large towel or sheet.

• Remove the fabric covered area if possible. My chair seats can be unscrewed from the wooden base. Taking the chairs apart made it easier to clean the entire seat without getting the wood too wet. It also gave me a chance to clean the wooden chair parts separately.

• Try different cleaning tools. A small brush, cotton rag, or microfiber cloth can boost the cleaning power of your fabric cleaner. Work the solution in using a light circular motion. Do not scrub too hard or the upholstery may pill.

• Give the fabric cleaner some dwell time.You’ll get the best results if you allow your favorite upholstery cleaner some time to work (also called dwell time) before you start scrubbing. Let the cleaner sit on the fabric for 5-10 minutes then continue cleaning.

• Vacuum first… and last! Remove excess dirt and debris from the upholstery with a vacuum before you begin cleaning. Once the surface is 100% dry run the vacuum over it again to help fluff the fabric and underlying upholstery foam. I use a shop vac for maximum suction but any vacuum with a hose attachment will work!

 

Do you have upholstery cleaning experience? I’d love to hear your favorite DIY method. Comment below with your favorite cleaner or stop by my Facebook page.

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