INVENTIONS

Anti-Grime Drape: Enough about bikes. Motorists are the ones who get dirty when they have to rummage in car trunks.

So a Costa Mesa inventor recently introduced the Tidy Tire Trunk Drape that protects clothes from dirt, grease and water when getting belongings from a trunk or, even worse, when reaching for that spare tire.

“Trying to get into your trunk without getting dirty is a real problem,” said the product’s inventor, JoAn Ashley, president of JSA Enterprises. “It’s almost impossible.”

The drape, which measures 24 inches by 36 inches, is attached to the inside of the trunk with Velcro. A driver can roll the black nylon drape over the lip of the trunk and down the bumper.

The product can be ordered by mail for $19.95. So far, Ashley said, the company has sold about 450 Tidy Tire Trunk Drapes, primarily to large companies which give them to their employees as incentives for participating in workplace programs, such as ride sharing.

Ashley’s firm also offers a Tidy Tire Kit and Tidy Tire Pouch to keep drivers clean when changing a flat. All of her products have trademarks pending.