People around the world love their gardens and lawns, but constant weed growth makes maintenance a chore. For those who want alternatives to harsh, harmful commercial weed killers, there is a solution. In fact, there are several homemade weed killer alternatives that we explore below. These homemade weed killers use natural ingredients, are kinder to gardens, child and pet-friendly, and you can often make them with ingredients already in the home.
So read on to discover our roundup of the top 13 environmentally friendly weed killer alternatives for a thriving and safe garden in 2025!
Table of Contents
Top 13 homemade weed killer alternatives
Weed burners and flame guns
More gardening help
Top 13 homemade weed killer alternatives
Several natural weed killers can damage other plants and the soil if used excessively. Vinegar and salt solutions are also harmful to small animals. Because of this, experienced gardeners suggest using these solutions cautiously.
After spraying, wait a week to check the results and repeat if needed for best results. Consider nourishing and watering to restore soil health between weed control activities.
When using any weed killing methods, always wear gloves and safety glasses for protection.
1. White vinegar, salt, and washing up liquid
White vinegar and salt are rich sources of acetic acid, which destroys plants. You can use horticultural vinegar with a 20% acetic acid content or common household vinegar with a 5% content. Add a surfactant (surface active agent) to help the active ingredient, acetic acid, get deep into the root system to dry out stubborn weeds, which kills them.
Recipe for the white vinegar weed killing solution:
- Pour one gallon of white vinegar into a container
- Dissolve one cup of salt in the vinegar
- Add one tablespoon of washing liquid
Mix the solution well and transfer some to a spray bottle. Adjust the spray nozzle to a focused setting that targets weeds without getting the mixture on surrounding plants in the garden.
You can also use a homemade vinegar weed killer without other ingredients, with the table salt or the dishwasher only.
2. Vinegar and citrus oil
Use the following ingredients to make this vinegar-based weed killer:
- White vinegar
- Orange or lemon citrus oil
- Dish soap
Combine a gallon of white vinegar with an ounce of lemon or orange citrus oil. Add a little dish soap and shake until well mixed. Spray the solution generously on a variety of weeds as required.
3. Lemon juice
The citric acid in lemon juice is an active ingredient for killing weeds if you don’t have any essential citrus oil available. Squeeze the juice of about six lemons and spray the juice over unwanted weeds. Store-bought lemon juice is another option, which may be more convenient.
4. Baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice
Blend one cup of baking soda with two cups of white vinegar and lemon juice (optional). Use this vinegar mixture on young weeds in paved areas.
5. Essential oil herbicidal mixture
Add between 10 and 15 drops of essential oils like tea tree, clove, or cinnamon) to water for a herbicidal weed killer. Spray this blend directly onto the leaves of weeds in your flower beds. Homemade herbicides like this work well on broadleaf weeds but may also destroy others.
6. Salt and water mixture
Mix two cups of salt with a gallon of water. Alternatively, sprinkle sodium chloride (salt) on the soil around the roots of weeds. Apply the liquid solution or dry salt on small weeds between the paving.
7. Sugar
Gardeners also use sugar for weed control, although this method destabilizes the ground and won’t be good for other plants until normalized. Mix sugar with a little chili powder and sprinkle this around weeds. The chili powder keeps pests away from the sugar, which sends good microbes into overdrive, killing deeply rooted garden weeds.
8. Molasses and water
Blend one cup of the pure form of unsulfured molasses with one gallon of water. Spray the mixture over a broad selection of weed varieties in large areas on a sunny day. This solution effectively suppresses the general growth of weeds in an area.
9. Boiling water
Whether your garden has perennial weeds or stubborn ones that you need to get rid of quickly, use boiling water. This method is ideal for use in a small area on sidewalks, against walls, and driveways. Make sure that you make direct contact with the weeds if you don’t want to destroy other nearby plants.
10. Epsom salts and liquid dishwashing soap
Mix the following ingredients:
2 cups Epsom salts
2 oz. liquid dish soap
1 gallon of water
Pour some of this mixture into a smaller bottle and spray the contents on the stems and leaves of weeds. This option works best on broadleaf weeds.
11. Baking soda mixture and water
Combine one cup of baking soda with one gallon of water and blend until dissolved for a different homemade weed killer. Although it won’t harm other plants in the area, it can affect the soil pH if used frequently.
12. Preventative corn meal
Most homemade weed killers focus on weeds, but few focus on killing seeds before they have a chance to grow. So, if you have corn gluten meal in your kitchen, sprinkle it throughout your flower and vegetable garden. This organic option won’t harm other plants, but it will prevent weed seeds from germinating. However, you must water the area to activate the process.
13. Mulching
Mulching is an effective, traditional weed control method. This technique involves layering certain materials on the soil to discourage weed growth, retain moisture, and release nutrients to nearby plants. As the mulch settles, it attracts earthworms, further increasing its nutritional value. Gardeners use their own compost or buy special weed barriers when implementing this technique.
Weed burners and flame guns
Although not DIY recipes, it is worth looking at using battery-operated weed burners and flame guns with homemade vinegar recipes and others. Where flame guns tend to destroy the visible part of weeds in the yard, in combination with DIY weed killer recipes, you can get rid of perennial weeds and the roots of unwanted plants.
More gardening help
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