|
test winner dr Wack A1 upholstery and Alcantara cleaner |
12.99 EUR |
highly recommended |
|
|
|
Sonax Xtreme upholstery cleaner |
11.19 euros |
recommended |
|
|
|
3. Value for money |
Value for money Vanish Gold Multi Textile |
4.69 euros |
recommended |
|
|
Liqui Moly upholstery foam cleaner |
6.98 euros |
recommended |
|
|
|
Armor All Active Foam Cleaner |
7.59 euros |
recommended |
|
|
|
Nigrin active foam cleaner |
5.49 euros |
conditionally recommended |
|
|
|
Clean Extreme Car Interior Cleaner |
EUR 17.75 |
conditionally recommended |
|
|
|
Koch Chemie textile cleaner |
EUR 16.90 |
conditionally recommended |
|
|
|
Meguiar’s Carpet Cleaner |
10.99 EUR |
conditionally recommended |
|
|
|
Swissvax Fabric textile cleaner |
EUR 39.00 |
conditionally recommended |
|
Winner of the AUTO BILD upholstery cleaner test: Dr. Wack A1 Upholstery/Alcantara Cleaner Pro
The A1 cleaner comes in first: it is the best at removing four out of eight types of dirt, its spray pattern is also compact – very good for spot cleaning to remove stains. In the test, the A1 product achieved 179 out of 200 points and is therefore rated as “highly recommended”.
Price-performance winner: Vanish Gold Multi Textile
The household cleaner from Vanish is the well-deserved price-performance winner: for 4.69 euros, it offers a solid cleaning result. In the test, the Vanish product achieved 158 out of 200 points and is therefore rated as “recommended”.
How AUTO BILD and GTÜ tested
The most important thing for a cleaner comparison: the test dirt! In order to create identical conditions for each product, we do not spill on the car seats ourselves, but order patch panels from the company CFT. CFT (Center for Test Materials) specializes in materials that can be used to determine cleaning performance. Eight pieces of fabric are sewn onto the panels. The textile pieces, measuring ten by ten centimetres, have been uniformly soiled by machine with various types of dirt: coffee, dressing, pigment/oil/milk, olive oil/soot, cocoa, porridge/chocolate and egg yolk/pigment.
Upholstery cleaner in check (2019): test – guide – information
Who is the best upholstery cleaner?
The stain panels come welded to our specialist laboratory, where we test together with the expert organization GTÜ. The two removed car seats are only used to test handling and to see if the cleaners leave stains. However, we determine the actual cleaning performance based on the panels. Before cleaning, we measure the degree of whiteness on the textile pieces with a special device. After cleaning, we measure the degree of whiteness on the textile items again – the difference value shows how strong the cleaning effect of each product is on the respective type of dirt.
The test results at a glance
And what are the big differences now? Short answer: especially when spraying. Of course there are also differences in the cleaning performance (results in the picture gallery). In order for the cleaner to be effective, it has to be out of its can or bottle. And here there are extremely big differences! The Swissvax spray bottle does not emit a jet or usable foam, just a ring-shaped, fine mist. That might be something for the disco, but not for upholstery cleaning. The bottle also has such an idiosyncratic shape that it drips onto your index finger when you spray it. There is no question of foam at the push of a button, there is no ready-to-use product in the bottle. For 39 euros you can buy a concentrate that has to be mixed with carbonated mineral water (!) in a ratio of 1:3. By then, at the latest, she’ll be foaming – not the joy, but the spray bottle. Which, by the way, costs twelve euros extra. Something else? Yes, Swissvax also only achieves 72 points in the cleaning section – fewer than all the others.
Just a ring-shaped mist: stains appear with the dripping bottle from Swissvax.
Conclusion on the upholstery cleaner test
The most expensive product is the worst, both in terms of cleaning performance and application: Swissvax is not worth the 39 euros. The clear winner is A1, which picks up four out of eight types of dirt best and can be processed best. The price-performance winner is Vanish: the household cleaner cleans thoroughly and is inexpensive.
