An upholstery tool is an attachment that allows you to clean items other than your flooring, such as your couch cushions, curtains, and mattresses. Some people take their canister vac outside and use their upholstery tool to clean the inside of their cars. But Hoover isn’t the only company that makes this handy attachment. Look for an upholstery tool in any vacuum cleaner product’s list of included cleaning tools before you consider making a purchase.