Easiest DIY Weed Killer Recipe
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Are weeds in your driveway driving you nuts? This DIY Weed Killer is just about the easiest way to deal with them–plus it's non-toxic, so it won't harm the environment, or your kids!
Before I tell you about this great Homemade Weed Killer, it's confession time. I can get pretty worked up when I see folks polluting the environment and thinking it means nothing.
What's a little RoundUP here? Or a little toxic chemical house cleaning stuff dumped down the drain, right?
I mean, I get it. It's not easy to make changes to a healthier lifestyle.
I need grace too. It took me awhile to quit eating sugar (read What is Candida-The Beginning of My Sugar-Free Life) but chemicals have ALWAYS bothered me.
I've never done well around perfum-ey cleaners, personal care products (like ultra-stinky hairspray [see my Homemade Hairspray to see what I use now], cigarettes, or any such chemical nasty offenders.
I clearly remember walking through the perfume department of malls, or the detergent and house cleaner aisles of grocery stores, feeling like I was going to faint and then trying to escape said toxic department or aisle asap.
You too?
Truth is, there are so many toxins in the world that it is making a HUGE impact on our environment.
And on our health.
I wrote about it some in Could You Have Heavy Metal Poisoning and Not Know It? and Candida, My Childhood, and 5 Causes of Gut Dysbiosis.
That's why I pretty much refuse to use any chemical or otherwise toxic product on myself–or in our home.
So back to my “anger problem.”
Why I Almost Screamed at My Neighbor
Last week was one such time that the urge to scream nearly overtook me. I was driving down the road (with my sons in the backseat) that I really almost screamed at a neighbor.
He was standing there, in his driveway, seemingly inconspicuous to other passersby—
But to me, he was a health hazard.
Unleashing his poison on the world.
And on my family.
One spray at a time.
There he stood, aerosol can in hand, spraying his driveway weeds.
So the weeds had to go, right? And that can was the way to do it.
I slowed down when I saw him, and with each spray, I could feel myself getting more and more frustrated.
My kids are used to me and my “non toxic thinking.”
Me: “Ugh – look at that!”
Boys: “What, Mom?”
Me: “That guy is spraying his weeds with that icky stuff! Doesn't he know what that will do to the environment?!”
I almost screamed. But I didn't. I'm sure my boys were glad about that.
Yes, I get frustrated about this stuff. The toxins that are being spewed willy-nilly into our environment and onto our food with rarely thought about the consequences we are going to have to pay for this.
The price tag is big, folks.
Cancer. Autism. Autoimmune disorders. All of these have toxins as part of their cause. I am convinced of that.
And the research says it too.
You don't have to look very far to see the multitude of health effects from the use of toxic chemicals on our lawns and driveways. (Source)
So–what's a natural crunchy “paranoid about toxins” mom supposed to do about Driveway Weeds?
Let 'em grow and deal with frustrated neighbors and shame about the progressively more shabby appearance of your driveway?
Nope. There's a better way.
And it's super simple.
It's a Homemade Weed Killer that anyone can use–and it won't send us chemically sensitive folks running for cover and it also won't harm the environment.
Our Driveway Weed Problem
Sadly, our driveway weeds had gotten pretty out of control. You can see it just fine in the top photo, but here's a clear shot without the title so you can get the full impact.
Yes, I was getting pretty embarrassed. My driveway looked like the beginnings of a giant Chia Pet. Sigh.
I did a bit of research about driveway weeds (you can imagine that Google and I are pretty good friends, huh?) and found out a few things:
1. Don't try to pull the weeds out. You likely can't get the roots out and they will just grow deeper and stronger. Not at all what we want, righto?
2. Too much information. There are a bunch of recipes for killing the weeds. I tried one that looked the most promising, and it worked, but I found something easier and cheaper.
Here's how I got rid of the weeds in my driveway.
No aerosol can.
No toxins.
And it was kind of fun too 🙂 !
Ingredients
- Vinegar
- Spray Bottle (Tip: Get whatever color your kids like – then they are excited to spray for you :)!)
Instructions
- Fill spray bottle with vinegar
- Spray weeds thoroughly with vinegar, taking care not to spray grass or other plants. It'll kill them too!
- Let sit for a day or so.
- Spray again if needed. You want the weeds to be pretty thoroughly brown before trying to remove them.
- Gently try to pull weeds out after a rain. Grasp the weeds by the base and gently wiggle and pull 'til they release from the soil.
I must say, I am thrilled with how much better our driveway looks now.
The weeds are gone and so is the embarrassment.
I mean, my family is more important than how our house and driveway look, but I still prefer it not to look totally neglected, you know?
Plus the weeds can end up damaging the driveway so this easy DIY weed killer will help protect your investment too!
I'd love to know how this Homemade Weed Killer works for you!
Way to scream at your neighbor, Karen. You are probably one of those people who are breaking 10 HOA rules while pointing the finger at everybody else.
Hahaha. In case you didn’t read the post, I did not scream. And my name isn’t Karen–and I don’t live in an HOA. And being upset about toxins in the environment isn’t a Karen thing–it’s a smart thing. Since you left a clearly fake email address, I am sure you won’t see this, but I’ll respond anyhow just to show others the kind of nonsense I have to deal with. Take care. 🙂
Add 1 cup of table salt to 1 gallon white vinegar ( warming 1 quart to dissolve salt first) combine and let cool before putting into a garden sprayer works at killing weeds along walks, fences and driveways. Also works in all the sidewalk and driveway cracks in a day or two.
I”m never certain when people say “vinegar” do they mean white vinegar or the brown apple cider vinegar! Which did you use? Thanks!
Either but the white works fine and is typically cheaper so I would go that route–it’s the acidity that does the killing they both have the same acidity. I’m going out to spray mine today!
Are the vinegars the 30% or 20% varieties or the plain ole kitchen 5% variety?
Thank you,
Just the regular kitchen variety.
I swear I am as allergic to the roundup as I am to the weeds! The chemicals are bad!
What pisses me off is the way the utility companies spray chemical herbicides and kill everything even plants in my yard that do not grow over 3-4 feet tall & even killed the grass in my pasture where they sprayed. it has been 2-3 years since they sprayed and there is still nothin growing there . also look at all of the water they contaminate. it might be your drinking water, and you are drinking it .
I didn’t know that they did that. Why did they spray?
Also, do you have a good water filter? I have a post on what we’ve tried: https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/how-to-make-your-drinking-water-safe/
Will it kill honey suckle vine and Bermuda grass ?
Looks like it won’t take care of the roots. But it will take care of the tops.
Most times if you can keep the top from growing the roots will die. I will try it and see what happens.
Hope it works!!
Hey ther Chem Free Mom,
Theres an even less chemically way or removing weeds!! H2O! Hot H2O to be exact. Pour boiling water (or if you have a portable steam cleaner, that’ll work too). You essentially boil the weeds, and they die!
Hi there. Yes, I think we’ve done that too – or at least we tried this with ants :)!
I’ve read that gin acts like Round-Up, but I never wanted to waste a good bottle of gin. 🙂
Have you heard of using gin? Is there any negative environmental impact? I don’t even know if it works. I guess I should try it.
I haven’t and don’t think I would spend the extra money either. But you mean it doesn’t kill grass?
Here is the vinegar week killer recipe I wrote down. Have not tried it yet.
1/2 gallon vinegar
1 oz orange oil (essential oil) (I want to try De-Solv-It, which is pure orange oil, I believe)
1 squirt dish soap
Put in a gallon jug and fill with water. Shake & pour what you need into a spray bottle. Spray on weeds, shaking occasionally to keep mixture blended. It is supposed to kill everything.
Oh and by the way, laundry soap kills moss but it will also kill your plants.
And a mixture of bleach and water kills algae. Spray it on the algae, let sit a few minutes and then spray with a strong spray of water. Some hand washing may be necessary to remove the thicker stuff.
Thanks and welcome!
The Gin sounds like a great idea. At my age of 83 I try to reduce stress over small things.
I can only assume that you get a comfortable seat to relax on, then pour about a half glass of Gin into a tumbler then top it up with Orange flavour and soda water and then proceed to contemplate the weeds while you drink each glass full and watch the weeds become less important. Nothing like de-stressing to relax and enjoy life
Billypil from Australia
Please put your bugle down.I just hope when you and your sons were out driving around spying on your neighbors you were using an all electric car.
So you think that using chemical weed killers are a better option?
And just so you know, we were not “spying” on anyone. Just driving down the road and noticed it.
And for the record, we typically have a very small carbon foot print. We do the best we can and have the least garbage of any family in the neighborhood. By far.
Thanks for commenting.