Introduction: Homemade Weed Killer

Welcome to my guide to making Homemade Weed Killer!

This guide will teach you how to make an alternative to store-bought weed killer, out of materials that are usually found in everyday households.

This weed killer is very easy to make, inexpensive, and blocks weed growth for up to 6 months!

Step 1: What You Need

As shown in the picture, you will need:

  • Pool Salt (1/2 cup)
  • Water (1/4 cup)
  • Distilled White Vinegar (5%, 3/4 cup)
  • Dish Soap (1/4 cup)
  • Lemons or limes (Optional, 3 lemons/limes)
  • Measurement cups

Step 2: Start by Cutting Up Your Limes/lemons

Cut your limes up like you would if serving a cocktail and be prepared to squeeze them into your container.

Note: Using lemons or limes is completely optional, but may wield better results for this project

Why limes/lemons?

Limes/lemons, although quite an expensive addition to this weed killer, increase the acidity of the solution, thus making the weed killer more effective.

Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients

Add 3/4 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup of water into a cup or container. If you are making the optional batch with the lemons/limes, then squeeze them into your container as well. After adding your ingredients, stir the container.

Note: All recommended measurements for a small amount of weed killer stays the same, even if lemons or limes are used

Why Vinegar?

The acidity of Vinegar kills the weeds and its roots, and is also used as a "liquid vessel", where it carries the pool salt and dish soap when sprayed onto plants.

Why Water?

Although water dilutes the solution, it helps save your precious vinegar and does not drastically reduce the effectiveness of the weed killer.

Step 4: Throw Some Salt Into the Mix

Add 1/2 cup of pool salt to your container.

Note: The size of the pool salt (rocks, or crushed powder) does not affect the effectiveness of the weed killer. Pool salt can also corrode concrete, so be careful as to where you apply the weed killer!

Why Pool Salt?

Salt is notorious for its use in the olden days, where if there was a dispute, men would salt their victim's land, making it barren and unable to grow crops. This would effectively destroy their source of food and income. Pool salt is a very cheap alternative to regualr table salt, and still gets the job done.

Step 5: Add Dish Soap

Add 1/4 cup of dish soap into the container.

Why Dish Soap?

Dish soap helps the salt and vinegar cling onto the stem and leaves, making the weed killer much more effective.

Step 6: Application

Put your homemade weed killer into a spray bottle or into a pump for maximum effectiveness when spraying weeds.

Note: For more weed killer, simply double, triple, or quadruple (etc) the recommended amounts given to make more weed killer

Step 7: Results

Congratulations on making your homemade weed killer! It normally takes up to a week to see results, but when you see the progress, you'll be amazed that something you made in your own home actually killed those pesky weeds!