Upholstery cleaning is a necessary part of keeping your furniture looking like new and fresh smelling because no matter how careful you are spills can happen plus there is the accumulation of dust ad dirt as part of normal use.  If you do not want to clean the upholstery yourself you can hire a profession from the many upholstery cleaning NY companies.  If you decide to do it yourself there are some steps you should make sure that you follow. Make sure that before you do any cleaning that you vacuum it first to remove dust and dirt that have built up on your furniture over time.  When you clean your upholstery, the cleaner is going to make the upholstery damp or wet and if the dust and dirt gets wet, it can make your couch, chair, ottoman, etc dirtier.  Use the attachment to get down in all the crevices and cracks and clean the cushions thoroughly.  You should also make sure that if you have a pet that you vacuum up as much pet hair as you can.  If necessary you can also try a pet hair remover but find one that works on upholstery. Make sure that if anything gets spill on your furniture that you blot it up right away because you do not want it to soak into the fabric, the stuffing, or the wood.  You do not want to rub or scrub at the spill but instead blot it up with a clean dry cloth