Sturdy covering for keeping car trunk area clean

March 22, 2019 11:52 AM

The trunk area of my hatchback car is upholstered in some kind of thin, cheap felt that is a magnet for dust and debris of all kinds. Due to the nearly-velcro texture of the felt, vacuuming is ineffective (takes forever, leaves tons of stuff behind, and tends to shred the already-thin material further). But I like to haul lots of stuff in the back of my car. What are my options for a durable mat/tarp/covering that won't drive me crazy?

Car is a 2008 Honda Fit, if that's helpful. I usually leave the back seats folded down to create a large flat trunk space BUT I do carry a full car of passengers about once a week so whatever solution is proposed should work with seats up or down.

In my ideal world, this mat/tarp/covering would be:

- waterproof/mudproof
- smooth enough to slide heavy things across it (e.g. while tetrising musical instruments/groceries/bicycles/tool cases)
- compatible with seats up or down without completely removing it
- available for purchase so this doesn't become another craft project I'll do "someday," and
- (serious pie in the sky territory here) colorful or with an interesting design/painting or otherwise fun

It would be a great life upgrade to look at my trunk area and smile instead of groan.

posted by danceswithlight to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Cargo liner?
posted by exogenous at 11:56 AM on March 22, 2019

I second exogenous. We have a newer Honda, but the liner has kept the back carpet pristine. WeatherTech makes god products, but there ae other makers out there. Honda probably has an OEM version.
posted by Pablo MacWilliams at 12:03 PM on March 22, 2019

I can't vouch for this specific cargo liner from Weathertech, but I can vouch for Weathertech products in general. They are awesome. We have liners for our Jeep and our Audi SUV and they save our car on the daily.
posted by lydhre at 12:06 PM on March 22, 2019

Response by poster: Are there extra-long cargo liners?

Ideally I'd like one that covers not just the regular trunk area but the backs of the folded-down seats as well, and then has a hinge/fold of some kind so that you can fold the seats up or down as needed without removing the linder.
posted by danceswithlight at 12:08 PM on March 22, 2019

Or, essentially, thirding exogenous and Pablo MacWilliams.
posted by lydhre at 12:08 PM on March 22, 2019

If you want to protect the back of the seats, the cheapest and easiest solution might be getting those pet fur things that loop to the back of the headrests and the cargo liner can protect everything else.
posted by HeyAllie at 12:14 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Hello to a fellow Fit driver.

I have the WeatherTech floor mats and and cargo liner and they are wonderful--the cargo liner would be a good choice, but you also probably want a rear seat-back protector. I don't use one, because I am lazy and haven't bought one yet, and while the cargo liner keeps my trunk nice and tidy, the seat backs do get stuff stuck to them when I use it with them folded all the way forward.


The unofficial FIT Forum has lots of resources for accessories, too.
posted by assenav at 12:25 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Here is the seat back protector--technically for the 2018 but measure your seats--I think they are the same.

There's a one-piece cargo and seat back liner for the CR-V, but I've never found one for the Fit.
posted by assenav at 12:40 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I got my husband one of these tarp/cargo liner jobbies a few months ago. Downside of leaving it in all the time: suction cups on windows. Upside: it folds down small and stores easily, and is easy to set up at need, and you can get it large enough to cover folded-down seats.
posted by telophase at 2:03 PM on March 22, 2019

Consider just getting a big piece of oilcloth (you don’t even need to really hem the edges, just cut it to size. You can fold it in half on top of itself when the back is up (I also have a Honda Fit and find that a piece of fabric covers most of my needs)
posted by raccoon409 at 3:42 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I bought a hard plastic office floor cover for where you protect a carpet from the effects of a rolling chair. This is in the back floor of my VW van. I had to cut off a foot or so to make it fit. It has kind of a nubby underside, so if you cut two pieces they wouldn't slide around. It was relatively cheap, it has worked for twelve years now.
posted by Oyéah at 4:55 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Fitted car mats are expensive. You can get vinyl and cut it to fit, and add some velcro at the corners to help it not roll. Fabric stores carry sheet vinyl. Or even flooring vinyl. Office floor mats - get free on freecycle or craigslist - they show up at goodwill often. Project - get colorful canvas and polyurethane it.
posted by theora55 at 11:54 AM on March 23, 2019

I just use a heavy canvas tarp - it folds up or expands to whatever size I need, and is big enough to fold up and over something if needed. Not fully waterproof.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:14 AM on March 24, 2019