Weed Control With Bleach and Vinegar

Weed control is one of the less enjoyable parts of maintaining a beautiful lawn or flower bed. Although an array of herbicides are available at any gardening or home improvement store, you can also control weeds in your lawn or landscaping with a couple of common household items: bleach and vinegar. Vinegar is most useful for killing young weeds because it kills the leaves and prevents photosynthesis. This eventually kills the root system. Bleach is most useful for killing mature weeds.

Two quart-size spray bottles

Household bleach

White vinegar

Fill one quart-size spray bottle with household bleach and another quart-size spray bottle with white vinegar.

Spray vinegar on young weeds. The vinegar will kill the leaves and prevent the weed from producing more.

Spray mature weeds with bleach to kill the root. Bleach will kill plants as well as weeds, so be careful when spraying not to saturate lawn or plants that you want to keep.. If you accidentally get bleach on a plant that shouldn't have it, then rinse the plant with water to remove the bleach.

If you are opposed to using bleach on your lawn, or the weeds are too close to your plants and you do not want to run the risk of killing them, then repeated application of vinegar will eventually kill a mature weed.

Always wear gloves when working with bleach.

If it is windy outside, wear safety glasses and make sure none of your skin is exposed. Bleach could blow in the wind and injure eyes or burn skin.

Wait a couple of days after the weeds die before planting anything in the treated location.