Reading Time: 10 minutes Kill Weeds the Natural Way: Our DIY Solution Costs Pennies and Kills Poison Ivy! (With Video)
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If you have a garden, you know that weeds can be a never-ending battle. It almost feels like as soon as you pull one out of the ground, another immediately appears in its place.
Even when you cover your garden area with landscaping plastic, weeds will still work through over time, or they will grow between the plastic and the mulch because sometimes, that’s where the weed seeds land.
For parents and pet owners killing weeds with store-bought or pre-made chemicals can often cause concern and worry.
Try this natural homemade weed killer that will put your mind at ease and kill the weeds without causing harm to your family.
If natural solutions are your favorite way to treat weeds, you will also want to learn how to prevent pests without chemicals.
Here is our natural way to kill weeds. We also added a video at the end.
Table of Contents
How Our DIY Weed Killer works
Mixing three everyday household products is an effective way to rid your gardens of unsightly weeds.
If you’re wondering how these simple household products work, the acid in salt and vinegar dries out the weeds. The dish soap helps the mixture to soak into the growing weeds rather than remaining on the leafy surface.
Start by measuring and mixing 1 gallon of white vinegar with 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Mix this directly into a pump-style garden sprayer, a handle-held spray bottle, or a gallon of vinegar.
You can use everyday white vinegar and see great results. There is stronger vinegar on the market, such as Calyptus Vinegar which is 30% strength, compared to white vinegar, which is 6% concentrate.
When using a higher concentration of vinegar, gloves, and eye protection are essential to avoid any personal injuries.
Once you have combined all of the ingredients, shake well to mix, find your weeds, and spray generously.
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Does Vinegar, Dish Soap and Salt Kills Weeds: Picture of Results
After 1-2 days, this is what a weed soaked in the vinegar and salt mix will look like.
Best Time to apply Our Homemade Weed Killer
This formula will work best when applied to weeds when the ground is dry, and you have a full day with no rain in the forecast if you can apply the mixture while the sun is still up. Spraying while the sun is still up.
If you spray on a sunny day, you will notice the leaves start to turn brown within a few hours.
Once you have located the unwanted weeds (are any weeds wanted), use the pump sprayer or a traditional spray bottle to get as close to the unwanted weed as possible and saturate the entire area.
Make sure you take caution to avoid spraying any flowers. This mixture could also cause the leaves or flowers to die.
While I’ve never had any issues with this solution affecting my grass, it’s best to keep the application to unwanted weeds to ensure your yard remains green and lush.
Is it safe to use This DIY Weed Killer In areas of pets and kids?
One of the best benefits of using this DIY weed killer is that it’s safe in areas where kids and pets play and roam.
One of the biggest draws to this DIY weed killer solution is that none of the ingredients are harmful to pets or children should they come into contact with them.
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Does This DIY Weed Killer Also Kill Grass?
This method of getting rid of weeds can have an adverse effect on your grass if you spray a lot. It is best to use a direct stream spray focusing only on the weed your wish to eliminate.
Using a direct stream will ensure that the solution penetrates directly into the weed and not to the grass or flowers surrounding it.
Because this concoction contains salt, overuse can affect the soil in your spraying area. Too much salt in your soil can affect future plant growth.
another Green option To Kill Weeds
If you are worried about the surrounding area of the weeds you’re trying to eliminate; boiling water also works well to kill unwanted weeds.
You can use a funnel to direct the boiling water to the weeds you want to eradicate to avoid killing grass or flowers.
For this method, boil water in a kettle or stock pan and pour it directly over the weeds. The weeds may begin to die immediately, but over a day or two, they will wilt and die.
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What Household Product Kills Weeds?
Several household products can be effective at killing weeds, each with its own best use cases and times when it should not be used.
We just shared our preferred natural way to kill weeds, but there are other household products that kill weeds.
Here is a list of some common ones and explanations for their effectiveness:
- Vinegar: Vinegar is effective because it contains acetic acid, which can burn and kill the leaves of weeds upon contact. It’s most effective on young, annual weeds that are still small. Vinegar is best used in areas where you want to kill all vegetation, such as on patios or walkways, because it does not differentiate between weeds and desirable plants. Avoid using vinegar in garden beds or near desired plants, as it can harm them.
- Salt: Salt dehydrates plants and disrupts the water balance of weed cells, leading to their death. It is especially useful for weeds growing in gravel driveways or paths. However, salt should be used sparingly and targetedly, as it can easily leach into the soil and negatively affect the soil structure and fertility, making the area inhospitable to all plants for a long time.
- Boiling Water: We already mentioned boiling water. But, pouring boiling water directly onto weeds cooks them and their seeds, effectively killing them. This method is ideal for weeds in sidewalk cracks or driveway joints, where it’s difficult for desirable plants to be accidentally harmed. Boiling water is a safe, immediate, and non-toxic method but is not selective and requires caution to prevent burns.
- Soap: Dish soap or a biodegradable soap can act as a surfactant, reducing the surface tension of water and helping it to stick to and penetrate the leaves of weeds, which can enhance the effectiveness of other weed-killing methods like vinegar. Soap alone won’t kill weeds, but when mixed with vinegar or salt, it can be more effective like we mentioned. Use it with care near desirable plants, as it can harm them as well.
- Corn Gluten Meal: Corn gluten meal is a natural pre-emergent herbicide, meaning it prevents weed seeds from germinating. It’s best used in garden beds or lawns where you want to prevent weeds from sprouting without harming existing plants. Avoid using it when you’ve just seeded an area with desirable plants, as it will inhibit their growth too.
- Rubbing Alcohol: Rubbing alcohol draws water out of weed leaves, leading to dehydration and death. It works well for spot treatment of weeds in garden beds or between pavers. Because it can harm desirable plants, it’s important to apply it carefully, using a spray bottle to
target only the weeds.
Each of these household products can be effective against weeds, but their success and appropriateness depend on the specific situation and the user’s caution to avoid damaging desirable plants.
Always consider the environmental impact and the safety of surrounding plants and animals when choosing a method for weed control.
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How To Kill Weeds, Without Harsh Chemicals Video
We also created this video on how to kill weeds.
Does This DIY Weed Killer Work On Poison Ivy?
Additional Benefit: Effective on Poison Ivy
One of the standout features of this natural weed killer is its effectiveness on poison ivy. If you have poison ivy in your yard, this DIY solution can help you get rid of it safely and affordably.
The ingredients in this mixture are not only tough on common weeds but also potent enough to tackle the resilient poison ivy. Just apply the solution directly to the poison ivy, ensuring thorough coverage.
With regular application, you should see the poison ivy start to wither and die, allowing you to enjoy a safer and more pleasant outdoor space.
I get really bad poison Ivy. Here is the back of my leg after my last poison ivy attack. So this motivated me to see if our DIY weed killer would work on poison Ivy.
Day 1 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
Day 2 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
Day 3 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
Day 4 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
Day 5 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
Day 6 of using our DIY Weed Killer on Poison Ivy:
So it took about a week for our DIY Weed Killer to kill poison ivy. It worked though. Each day I sprayed the plant again.
Homemade Poison Ivy Killer Video
We created this video using our weed killer on poison ivy.
Caution: Handling Poison Ivy
Even if the poison ivy appears to be dying after treatment, it is still not safe to touch. Poison ivy contains urushiol, an oily resin that can cause an allergic skin reaction. This resin remains active and can cause rashes and irritation whether the plant is alive, dead, or dying.
Therefore, it’s crucial to wear protective clothing, such as gloves and long sleeves, when handling or disposing of poison ivy. Always wash your hands and any clothing or tools that come into contact with the plant to prevent accidental exposure to urushiol.
Getting to the Root of the problem
This method of killing weeds doesn’t always penetrate down to the roots. Therefore, the weed may resurface. I have had luck avoiding that by spraying this DIY weed-killer mixture several days in a row.
For large and more stubborn weeds try poking the middle of the weed with a screwdriver before spraying this DIY weed Killer to the center of the weed.
You can also use a butter knife to remove the weeds. We created this video to show you how to remove weeds with a knife:
I’m also not a weed expert, but in my experience, I’ve had luck with this homemade weedkiller on all of the weeds I’ve applied it to. I can’t guarantee that this will work on every variation of weeds.
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