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Budget home hack: Homemade weed killers

Get rid of pesky weeds without resorting to costly products or dangerous chemicals - by Andrea Black
  • 23 Apr 2019
Budget home hack: Homemade weed killers

Weed control can be hard to maintain in any garden. But the good news is there are some simple home remedies that can not only get rid of weeds but, in some cases, also prevent them coming back. Win-win!

Getty Images
Getty Images

Boiling water

If you have stubborn weeds in an isolated area like a driveway or paving, a kettle of boiling water will kill them (and pretty much anything else) straight away. Beware, don’t stand downstream from where you are pouring!

Getty Images
Getty Images

Lemons, salt and vinegar

Everyday kitchen goods can really come in handy in the garden. A mix of salt and vinegar in a spray bottle will kill any weeds you spray it with. Used selectively and carefully you can kill off weeds in amongst your plants without leaving behind any harmful chemicals. Rub a lemon along an area where small weeds are growing between brickwork and say goodbye to those sneaky little so-and-sos for good.

Getty Images
Getty Images

Paper trail

When planting on an exposed garden bet with an abundance of weeds, simply plant as would normally and then arrange sheets of newspapers over the weeds and around your newly planted blooms so that the entire garden bed is covered. Cover with mulch and you’re done. Not only will the newspaper kill the weeds but it will break down without a trace.

Getty Images
Getty Images

Borax and detergent

The most favoured home weed killer amongst experts though is this handy mix that will get rid of unwanted weeds in your garden. Mix a litre of vinegar, half a cup of Borax and a teaspoon or two of dishwashing detergent into a spray bottle. The detergent acts as an emulsifier helping the vinegar and borax be absorbed into the weed. As always, be careful with other plants you don’t wish to harm, make sure your spray bottle can shoot with a steady stream to zap the weeds.

 

Elbow grease

The simplest method for dealing with weeds is getting down and pulling them out by hand, it can be back-breaking work but worth it if you’re capable. Wait till after a rain storm when the soil is soft, this will make hand weeding much easier.

Andrea Black
Andrea Black
Travel, design and interiors writer Andrea Black embraces maximalism in the home, prefers mid-century modern style furniture and likes to hunt down vintage pieces. She specialises in travel relating to design, history, architecture and music. When visiting a city she will track down vintage vinyl record stores and bring home a local release.

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