Automotive · Head-to-head
Adam's Polishes Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner vs Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (19 oz)
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners: 4 Compared comparison.
Adam's is the only non-foaming product here, which makes it the safe choice on the surfaces where trapped residue and soaking cause the damage. Meguiar's is the most self-contained, because the scrubbing brush is part of the can.
Adam's Polishes Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
Buy itThe only non-foaming cleaner here, which is the whole argument for it.
- Non-foaming formula, so there is no suds layer to rinse back out and less risk of leaving soap in the fibre.
- Dye free and fragrance free, which matters in an enclosed cabin and on light-coloured fabric.
- Described as safe, non-toxic and hypoallergenic, and the page commits to that rather than hinting at it.
- Sold in 16 oz, gallon and 5 gallon, so the same formula scales from one interior to a working detail bay.
- Trigger spray only, with no brush supplied, so you are buying an agitation brush separately.
- No fragrance means no masking, so an odour you do not fully remove stays noticeable.
- Ready to use rather than concentrated, so cost per use is higher than a dilutable rival.
Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (19 oz)
Buy itAn aerosol foam with the scrubbing brush built into the lid, so nothing else is required.
- The canister has a removable carpet scrubber top, so the agitation tool ships with the product.
- Fast-acting foam that penetrates and dissolves stains from the bottom up, which suits deep pile carpet.
- Rated by the maker for both carpet and upholstery, so seats are genuinely in scope.
- The page tells you to test for colour fastness on an inconspicuous area first, which is the right advice and often missing.
- Aerosol foam is harder to meter than a trigger spray, which makes a headliner a nervous job.
- New Car Scent is a strong added fragrance with no unscented option.
- The permanent odour removal claim is asterisked down to removing existing odours, so it is not protection against future ones.
Side by side
The 9 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Adam's Polishes Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner Our pick | Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (19 oz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Seats, door cards and headliners, and anyone who would rather remove an odour than cover it. | Floor carpet and seats in one pass, for someone who does not want to buy a separate brush. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
| Foaming | Non-foaming | Fast-acting foam |
| Format | Trigger spray liquid | Aerosol canister |
| Brush included | No | Yes, removable scrubber cap |
| Surfaces named on the front label | Any carpet type, upholstered seats and doors | Carpet and upholstery |
| Fragrance | Dye free and fragrance free | New Car Scent |
| Odour claim | None stated | Permanently removes existing odours, asterisked |
| Dilutable | No, ready to use | No |
| Sizes offered | 16 oz, gallon, 5 gallon | 19 oz |
| Suitable for a headliner | Best of the four, no foam to soak | Possible but hard to meter |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Adam's Polishes Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner if
seats, door cards and headliners, and anyone who would rather remove an odour than cover it.
Know before buying: trigger spray only, with no brush supplied, so you are buying an agitation brush separately.
Pick the Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (19 oz) if
floor carpet and seats in one pass, for someone who does not want to buy a separate brush.
Know before buying: aerosol foam is harder to meter than a trigger spray, which makes a headliner a nervous job.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Adam's Polishes Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner - The only non-foaming cleaner here, which is the whole argument for it. Choose the Meguiar's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (19 oz) instead if floor carpet and seats in one pass, for someone who does not want to buy a separate brush.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners: 4 Compared.