How to Permanently Kill Grass and Weeds with Salt, Vinegar and Dawn

Is your yard overgrown with weeds and grass that you want to get rid of permanently?  Learn how to get rid of unwanted vegetation once and for all.

Try this homemade weed killer with vinegar, Epsom salt and Dawn dish detergent. This three ingredient weed, grass and vegetation killer is non-toxic and easy to make.

Get control over weeds in your garden and skip the Round Up with these tips that will kill grass and weeds forever.

What kills grass and weeds permanently?

There are many ways to kill grass and weeds. Killing them permanently, however is quite difficult. To kill any kind of grass or weed permanently you need to attack and kill the plant's roots.

If you are trying to kill a large area of vegetation an easy way to start is covering the area with cardboard or wet newspaper to smother it. Depriving the grass and weeds of light and fresh air will kill the plants and make it easier to dig up their roots.

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Can weeds be killed with salt, vinegar and dawn dish soap?

Another equally effective method to kill weeds is to spread salt directly onto the weeds or unwanted grass that come up between patio bricks or blocks.

Vinegar and dish soap will also work and you can make a homemade weed killer out of these cheap ingredients.

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Ingredients for homemade weed killer

• 1 quart of vinegar
• 2 cups of salt
• ¼ cup dish detergent
• Spray bottle

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Vinegar

Use the cheapest kind of vinegar you can get. Look in the cleaning aisle of the grocery store for vinegar made for cleaning and not cooking. It’s usually cheaper. Ordinary distilled white vinegar with 5% acidity is cheap and works great. If you can find a higher acidity even up to 20%, it is going to work faster, but the end results will be the same so don't stress if you can't find it.

Salt

Cheap iodized or un-iodized generic salt also known as sodium chloride is perfect for this recipe. Use the cheapest you can find.

Dishwashing liquid

You only need a few drops of dishwashing liquid so the brand doesn’t matter. The purpose of the soap is to break the surface tension of the vinegar so it sticks to the weeds, forcing them to absorb it more readily.

Directions for 3 Ingredient Natural Weed Killer

1. Heat vinegar in a pan on the stove until it is hot, but not boiling.
2. Add salt and stir in with a wisk until it is dissolved. Let mixture cool slightly so that it is still warm but cool enough to handle.
3. Add Dawn Dish Soap to your sprayer and slowly pour in the vinegar mixture.  

How to use homemade Round Up

Pick a hot, dry day and spray weeds until saturated, they will wilt and shrivel up within hours. Use caution not to spray any plants or flowers you want to live.

The vinegar will not harm the soil and you can safely replant the area once the weeds have died.

How homemade weed killer works

The vinegar draws moisture out of the plant, killing it in the process. Spray during the hottest part of the day and make sure there isn’t rain in the forecast for at least 24-48 hrs. 

This homemade weed killer recipe is not only cheap, but is completely non-toxic to humans and animals.

Some of the weeds may need a second application later to completely kill them off, but most of them will be dead and gone after several days.

Do you have to pull weeds after spraying?

You will see results in a day or two after spraying. After the grass and weeds die, you'll have remove them by hand, which is difficult, but much easier than pulling a live weed. A downside of these chemicals is that they may not kill the weeds entirely.

The root of the plant may still be alive so as you are pulling up the dead weeds try to pull up the root as well.

Will bleach kill weeds permanently?

Bleach will kill most small weeds. It won't work against larger or invasive weeds like Ivy, Brambles or Knotweed. If you use it on soiled areas you will no longer be able to use that space for growing​, it can take several months before your soil is suitable for planting.

Bleach is not good for the environment so I don’t recommend using it in the garden. You could use it on areas like cracks in the concrete of your driveway but the recipe I listed above is just as effective and won’t harm wildlife.

Does baking soda kill weeds?

If vinegar, salt and dish detergent aren't your thing you can also try using baking soda to kill weeds. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon onto the weed. Repeat weekly as necessary.

How do you stop weeds from growing back?

Five Tips for Effective Weed Control

1. Kill weeds at their roots to prevent them from growing back.
2. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Use bark mulch or straw around plants to help smother weeds before they ever break through the soil.
3. Weed after it rain. The wet soil make it easier to pull weeds up.
4. Make sure you pull the heads off weeds before they have a chance to go to seed and spread around the garden.
5. Mind the gaps between plants. Let plants and shrubs grow close together so that weeds don't have a chance to grow in those empty garden spaces.

If you decide this is all too much trouble you can pick the dandelions from your garden and make tea instead! How do you kill unwanted grass and weeds in your garden permanently? Share your tips in the comments!