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Home / Projects / Home DIY / Homemade Weed Killer

Homemade Weed Killer

April 5, 2020 By //  by Hannah 13 Comments

Homemade Weed Killer

It’s officially spring and my yard has been taken over by weeds.  In the past I’ve always applied a commercial weed killer to make picking weeds easier but I’ve seen far too many commercials claiming that they are toxic so from now on I’m making my own.  This was my first time making homemade weed killer and it was super easy.  With just a few household items you can make your own and never have to worry about the environmental and health impacts of killing your weeds again.

Jump to Recipe

 

Does Homemade Weed Killer Work?

I did a bunch of research on DIY weed killer recipes before I mixed up my batch.  While there are a number of different recipes out there I chose to go with one that allowed me to use the ingredients that I already had in my house.  I’m happy to report that my homemade weed killer did work!  That said, it took longer than I was expecting.

*Be careful not to spray your DIY weed killer near any of your plants or anywhere that you may want something to grow at a later date.  The salt can destroy the soil so that nothing grows there again. If you want to kill the weeds but want to grow something in that spot later eliminate the salt from the mixture!

Let’s look at some before and after photos!  This spot is at the front of my home.  The weed killer worked great on the weeds that were close to the ground but wasn’t as effective on the taller weeds.  It didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the grass that has crept into my mulched areas.

Homemade Weed Killer Before
Before
Homemade Weed Killer After
After

Here is a view of the walkway up to my front door.  I was careful not to spray anywhere near my bushes but as you can see the weed killer did a pretty good job of tackling the weeds that were along the sidewalk.

Homemade Weed Killer before after
Before
After

Here are a few more pictures showing the areas where the homemade weed killer worked well.

Homemade Weed Killer

Homemade Weed Killer

Homemade Weed Killer

How to Make Homemade Weed Killer

Ingredients/Materials

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click-through and make a purchase

Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Salt

Dish Soap

2 Gallon Lawn Sprayer

Homemade Weed Killer

Will Regular White Distilled Vinegar Work?

I read a few article where people recommend using 10-20 percent concentration vinegar.  I chose not to use the higher concentration for a few reasons.

  1. It can actually burn your skin and I’m super clumsy.
  2. It’s quite a bit more expensive and I didn’t have any on hand.  I’m trying to do this quarantine and social distancing thing right and that means I can’t be going out for anything that is non-essential.
  3. It can be harmful to pets and wildlife so I wasn’t willing to take that risk.  The day after I sprayed my weeds I was looking out my window to see how they were doing and I saw a squirrel munching on some grass right in an area that I had sprayed.

Directions

You’ll want to get a lawn sprayer with a pump and wand on it.  Trust me, it’ll make your life so much easier.  I used one like this 2 Gallon Lawn Sprayer.  Pour all of the ingredients into the sprayer and then shake it well to mix it up.  Be sure that the lid is on tight before you go to town shaking it.  The sprayers are great since you can pump it to pressurize the canister and then spray for several minutes before having to pump again.

Homemade Weed Killer

I applied it on a Tuesday evening. The next day I checked to see how the weeds were doing and they didn’t look phased at all.  It wasn’t until at least 48 hours later that I noticed a change and it really took about 72 hours to see a significant difference.  The homemade weed killer doesn’t work as fast as the commercial stuff but if you have patience it’s a good alternative and the benefits totally outweigh the hassle of waiting a few extra days.  It was a cool overcast day when I applied it.  From what I’ve read it works faster and possibly better if you apply it on a hot sunny day.  I’ll definitely give that a try next time.

Homemade Weed Killer
Print

Homemade Weed Killer

Ingredients

  • 1 Gallon Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 1 Cup Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Dish Soap

Instructions

  1. Pour 1 gallon of white vinegar into the sprayer.

    Homemade Weed Killer
  2. Add 1 cup of lemon juice into the sprayer.

    Homemade Weed Killer
  3. Add 1 cup of salt into the sprayer.

    Homemade Weed Killer
  4. Add 1 tbsp of dish soap into the sprayer.

    Homemade Weed Killer
  5. Close the lid on the sprayer tightly and then shake the sprayer to mix all ingredients together.

  6. Pump the sprayer per the manufacturers directions and then spray weeds as needed.

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Homemade Weed Killer

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Have you ever tried making your own weed killer?  If so, what is your go to recipe?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle

    April 5, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    This is such a good idea! I’m going to have to try this on our weeds. Thank you for sharing pictures showing that it works!

    Reply
    • Hannah

      April 7, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Thanks Michelle. Have a great week.

      Reply
  2. Anita holland

    April 7, 2020 at 8:03 am

    Great post, very useful. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Hannah

      April 7, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Thanks Anita.

      Reply
  3. tarahlynn

    April 13, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Thanks so much for sharing with us! I’ll be featuring you this week on my blog, Instragam and Facebook!
    To Grandma’s house we go link party at https://www.grandmashousediy.com

    Reply
    • Hannah

      April 15, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks Tarahlynn!

      Reply
  4. Rachelle

    April 15, 2020 at 8:26 am

    Good info, Hannah. I’ve never seen the spray mixture made with lemon juice. I will need to give this one a try.

    I’m visiting from Grandma’s House link party.

    And I’ve got my own blog post coming out on Friday April 17 on gardening. It’s the first post in a new series called “Friday with Friends” and the first post will be about gardening.
    I would love to include this post on making your own organic weed killer by using a picture and linking back to your site for the instructions. If you are comfortable with being included for this then you can email me back at my site.

    Thanks
    Rachelle Rubio
    Rachelle@myhubbardhome.com
    https://myhubbardhome.com

    Reply
    • Hannah

      April 15, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      Thanks Rachelle. Feel free to link to my post. I’m totally fine with that! I’ll stop by and check out your series.

      Reply
  5. Rachelle Rubio

    April 15, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    Thank you so much Hannah. It will be out this Friday, April 17.

    Reply
  6. roseannmhampton

    April 15, 2020 at 9:10 pm

    Looks like a great alternative to chemicals! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop!

    Reply
  7. Donna Reidland

    April 20, 2020 at 11:36 am

    I look forward to trying this. I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with the week killer my husband likes to use.

    Reply
    • Hannah

      April 21, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      Thanks for stopping by Donna. 🙂

      Reply
  8. imdbtoo

    August 5, 2021 at 12:09 pm

    Definitely the vinegar. I’ll try adding salt next time to see if its more effective.

    Reply

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