DIY Weed Killer that is SAFE and EFFECTIVE

This weed killer is easy to make with things you probably already have at home. I get asked a lot about killing weeds "safely". I personally think all weed control is safe if you follow the label and wear your PPE, but here is a good option for those super concerned.

Mix:
1 gallon distilled white vinegar
1 cup of table salt
splash of dawn dish soap or surfactant

[Fireworxs]

*This recipe has been around forever. When I was a teenager, (I'm 61) I worked as an assistant greenskeeper (think Caddyshack) at a large Golf Course in Iowa. This was the GO TOO recipe for weed killing in and around the outbuildings, driving range, parking lots and swimming pool areas. That was almost 50 years ago. (A gallon of vinegar cost .25 back then...By the way...The salt is really optional, and you don't need a full cup/per/gallon. 1/4 cup will do just fine, and it won't poison the ground. The hotter and drier the weather, the faster more effective it is, but it really needs a full 24 hours for complete effectiveness. If you have any harder than average to kill weeds, hitt'em with the 30% vinegar concentrate. We used that stuff to kill unwanted trees. Worked every time*

[vroda]

Don’t forget to thoroughly wash the sprayer and spray clean water through the nozzle,
Vinegar will corrode all metal parts if left in the sprayer

[RosieBaseball]

I've used this formula a few times and it actually lasts one year and then I have to do it again next year. The key is to remove the entire root. I remove the weeds by hand and then pour this mix into the area to kill the roots and it holds up to one year.

[WooderBoyProductions]

30% vinegar works even better. Only need a little bit of it. And epson salt works even better than table salt. Sticks better to the plant.

[redstingraycorvette]

I tried this vinegar add some salt and dish soap and it worked, with in a week and a half all the weeds were back again so it does not kill the roots!

[TTownTCG]

Brother I've been doing this for years. I make mine like this with your 2 gallon sprayer get 2 gal of vinegar, I do a whole box of salt an 3/4 blue dawn. That stuff will get rid of grass, weeds, bugs, fleas and ants! I use it inside as well. Works great an don't hurt the animals if they get into it.

[bjspranger]

I sprayed my front driveway and this is by far the Best weed killer.
I do have to go back and spray every couple of months because more weeds pop up but it really works!

[GrammyDawe]

I am DEFINITELY going to try this and you were excellent giving us all that awesome information. Take care!

[BenNawrath]

I use this all the time. Works great, especially on hot days. Spray in the morning and hit the dead crispy stuff with the torch in the afternoon, and you e got yourself a nice little Saturday.

[kiddozoo]

Use on a sunny, hot day and it works a little better and faster. I also read that epsom salts works better.

[jwlsngold]

That is my go to weed killer solution, I've also given this recipe to a few neighbors, it works great!! Thanks for sharing!! 👍

[musicluvr]

I tried this mixture several years ago, but gave up on it. It turned the weeds brown for a couple of weeks, but they came back again, and it seemed to me like they were even more resistant to the second spraying. That could have been my imagination, but they did continue to come back.

[rtroyer]

If you have just a few weeds coming up, you can just pour boiling water on them, right out of the tea kettle! It also takes care of seeds waiting to sprout.

[Egalitarian-btkz]

I use this all the time, a fantastic and inexpensive weed killer. I especially love it for weeds or grass in cracks of driveway, sidewalks or in the gutter. I’m now using it along backyard fence line…Thanks

[free_at_last]

Fun video and I like this combination. Mix the salt and vinegar together to completion before pouring the dish soap in.

[Eric-eiwk]

This is the mix I use around my garden planters. Works great and no glyphosate in my veggies

[Caligirl-]

Thank you. My gardener keeps asking me if he can spray in my backyard and I keep telling him I have pets. So then he says roundup is better now… it’s all organic. Lol he never gives up.

[bobjackson]

I mixed normal strength vinegar with salt and some dishwashing liquid. I spayed a mixture of weeds. By the next day most weeds looked dead but the weed grasses were still fairly green. I'll check them tomorrow. Compared with normal weed killer, I would say this is superior. Boiling water sounds an expensive alternative if you have a lot of weeds. I have now bought double strength vinegar and will try that next.

[troyarthur]

I have been using the same weed killing mixture for years, although when I mix it its without salt and I just use cheap dishsoap and about half the dishsoap amount as I use the vinegar and it works in a day or two to kill its target, plus a little tip is to heat up as you mix it. I use a pyrex glass measuring cup and a microwave, it blends together better( just warm it up a little) the soap only allows the vinegar to stick. The salt you use is what will damage areas so nothing will grow.

[maribethcastroparada]

It works but better if you dont apply on a day where rain is expected. The sun will fry the weeds so more sun the better