Choosing Fabric

Fabric splits into cleaning and protecting. Cleaning wants an alkaline cleaner, agitation, and — for anything beyond light soiling — extraction rather than wiping, because wiping moves soil sideways and leaves a ring.
Protecting means a fluoropolymer repellent that makes spills bead long enough to be blotted. This is the one interior product with an unambiguous payback on a light-coloured cloth interior, and it needs reapplying after every deep clean.