Try These DIY All-Natural Weed Killers (They’re Safe for Pets and Children!)

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the butterflies are fluttering and the plants in your garden are happily growing. Unfortunately the plants in your garden include the ones you don’t want. Of course you can just pop down to the garden centre and buy a commercial weed killer but these tend to be toxic: what if your dog or your toddler accidentally ingests it? It’s much safer – and, as a bonus, it’s also much cheaper – to make your own and control what you put into it. Try these DIY all-natural weed killers: they’re safe for pets and children!

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DIY Weed Killer With Vinegar and Dish Soap

For this seriously simple weed killer, fill your spray bottle with white vinegar and add a teaspoonful of liquid dish soap: preferably a natural, biodegradable one if you want to keep your garden free of harmful chemicals. A bonus of this weed killer is that it can also help for certain pests. This weed killer works best on a warm and sunny day. The vinegar dries out the plant while the soap acts as a surfactant, so that the vinegar gets more readily absorbed. The sun simply speeds up the process.

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DIY Weed Killer With Vinegar, Salt and Dish Soap

For this DIY weed killer, you need a gallon of white vinegar, a cup of salt and a teaspoon of natural liquid dish soap: you can even make your own dish soap first, to really be sure that it’s natural. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. The ingredients are designed to dry out the weeds, so the weed killer will work faster on a warm, sunny day. Spray the DIY weed killer solution onto the weeds, avoiding the soil and surrounding plants. You may need multiple treatments since the weed killer doesn’t attack the root system. Before you apply this weed killer, be aware that over time, the salt will leach into the soil and while weeds won’t grow in that spot anymore, neither will anything else.

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DIY Weed Killer With Vinegar, Dish Soap and Epsom Salt

This weed killer is very similar to the previous one but instead of regular salt, you use Epsom salt. Combine a gallon of white vinegar, a quarter cup of liquid dish soap and two cups of Epsom salt and pour into a spray bottle. The Epsom salt is also a beetle repellent. The best time to apply this weed killer is on a sunny afternoon, when the weeds aren’t damp with dew. Because it will kill any plant it comes into contact with – including your prized flowers – it’s best for spots like sidewalk cracks.

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DIY Weed Killer With Epsom Salt and Boiling Water

Epsom salt – magnesium sulphate – will prevent the plant from absorbing other nutrients, causing it to die. Add a cup and a quarter of Epsom salt to four cups of boiling water for an effective weed killer.

Pour the weed killer directly onto the plants: the boiling water burns the plant before allowing the Epsom salt to do its thing. Be aware though that the Epsom salt will leach into the soil and the magnesium will make it nearly impossible for other plants to grow in that spot, so this isn’t one of the best ways to keep your lawn naturally green.

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DIY Weed Killer With Boiling Water

To make this weed killer, simply fill and switch on the kettle. That’s it. Boiling water works in a similar way as the vinegar-based weed killers in that it causes the plant to wither. While vinegar does this by drying out the plant, boiling water does it by burning the plant. Simply pour it onto the weeds you want to get rid of, taking care that you don’t splash it all over your feet. This method doesn’t destroy the roots, so you’ll need to reapply when the weeds grow back.

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DIY Weed Killer With Lemon Juice

There are many things you can clean with a lemon but did you know that you can also use this sour little fruit to keep your garden weed free? To make a lemon juice weed killer, simply fill a spray bottle with pure juice.

Lemon juice works in a similar way as vinegar in that the acid in it dries out the plant, causing it to die. Simply saturate the plant with the juice and the weed will wither in a day or two.

Homemade DIY cleaner with lemons and vinegar

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DIY Weed Killer With Lemon Juice and Vinegar

If you don’t have access to enough lemon juice to fill up a spray bottle, combine the juice that you have with vinegar. You can make the mixture even more potent by using horticultural vinegar but this can be hazardous because it has a much higher acid content. Saturate the plants with the lemon juice and vinegar solution and wait for them to wither. This weed killer works best when the plants are dry, so apply it in a sunny afternoon when there’s no chance of rain later on.

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DIY Weed Killer With Newspaper

Old newspapers are one of the cleaning products our editors can’t live without. They come in handy in the garden too. They’re great for using as a weed killer in your garden beds after you’ve done some weed whacking.

After you’ve cut off the weeds in your garden or applied an all-natural weed killer that killed the plant but not the root system, lay down sheets of newspaper over the area. Add some mulch on top to weigh things down. The newspaper will prevent the weed to grow from seeds or to regrow from roots, since the plants can’t reach the sunlight and air they need. Over time, the paper will decompose too, so you don’t even have to worry about cleaning up.

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DIY Weed Killer With Corn Gluten Meal

While most weed killers get rid of weeds that have already grown, to grow the best lawn in your neighbourhood you need to prevent the weeds from growing in the first place. Corn gluten meal is a great pre-emergent weed killer that also keeps ants away. To use corn gluten meal, sprinkle the granules over the soil. For summer weeds, use it in the early spring and for winter weeds, use it in the late summer. Because corn gluten meal prevents all seedlings from growing, it’s best to use it on your lawn rather than in your flower beds.

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DIY Weed Killer With You

The most effective weed killer safe for pets is you. This is because unlike weed killer solutions, you can tell the difference between weeds and the plants you want to grow in your garden. By pulling out the weeds with your hands, you can also get rid of the roots and make sure the plants won’t grow again. To be every weed’s arch nemesis is, unfortunately, backbreaking work. You need to get down on your hands and knees, grip the weed by the base and pull out the whole plant, roots and all. It will help to water the soil first so that it’s soft and the weeds are easier to remove. You’ll be surprised how good this activity can be for your mental health! Just remember to wear a hat, gardening gloves and sunscreen.