Gardening Plant Problems Weeds

3 Natural Homemade Weed Killers That Actually Work

Easy, all-natural weed killers that work to kill even the most stubborn weeds

By
Gemma Johnstone
gemma johnstone
Gemma Johnstone
Gemma Johnstone is a gardening expert who has written 120-plus articles for The Spruce covering how to care for a large variety of plants from all over the world. She's traveled all over Europe, living now in Italy.
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Updated on 03/04/25
Reviewed by
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette 2018
Reviewed by Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.
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natural weed killing solution using vinegar

The Spruce / Liz Moskowitz

When you don't have the right weed killer on hand but are facing stubborn weeds like dandelions, crabgrass, and creeping charlie, you can actually turn to your kitchen cabinet to create an effective and all-natural DIY solution.

Gardeners are increasingly turning to natural weed killers to eliminate unwanted invaders, and if you’re looking for a simpler way to control undesirable weeds, this guide has you covered.

We explain when and how to use some of the most popular homemade weed killers and how you can integrate these with other safe solutions to keep your yard free of noxious weeds.

How to DIY a Natural Homemade Weed Killer

Using Vinegar

Using vinegar with essential oils

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

A homemade vinegar solution is a popular short-term natural weed controller. A horticultural vinegar (10-20% acetic acid) rapidly breaks down foliage tissue on contact, and the soapy surfactant helps the vinegar stay in contact with the leaves longer.

Household vinegar is most effective on small weeds under two weeks old and with no more than two leaves. When using vinegar as a homemade weed killer, keep in mind the following application, limitation, and safety considerations.

Materials Needed

  • 1 gallon of horticultural vinegar (household vinegar works, too—just double the amount)
  • 4 tablespoons of a fish-safe surfactant, dish soap, or Castile soap

Instructions:

  1. Identify problem weeds. Vinegar is more effective on certain broadleaf weeds, including carpetweed, common chickweed, ground ivy, Canada thistle, and recently germinated crabgrass.
  2. Apply on a sunny day. When there is no rain forecast, spray or pour the mixture on the weeds at hand.
  3. Repeat. Provide another application after five or six weeks if weeds are still present. 

Weed Control Tip

Vinegar is a non-selective, contact herbicide. It needs to cover the weeds thoroughly. It can also kill other non-weedy plants, so watch out for spray drift.

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Using Rubbing Alcohol

how to remove stickers rubbing alcohol

Ali Majdfar / Getty Images

Another contact natural weed killer you probably have in your cupboard is rubbing alcohol (a solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol and water). This astringent substance removes moisture from the plant’s foliage, causing it to die back.

Materials Needed

  • 1 quart of water
  • 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol

Instructions:

  1. Mix the solution. Dilute the rubbing alcohol with the water.
  2. Apply it directly on weeds. Spray the solution on the weeds in question, making sure to do so on a sunny day so it doesn't wash away. 
  3. Use this indiscriminate solution with caution. You can kill off cultivated species if the spray hits them. The alcohol can also leave the soil infertile when absorbed.

Using Boiling Water

A pitcher of boiling water to use as a natural weed killer

The Spruce / Liz Moskowitz

Applying boiling water directly onto the plants from a kettle is a quick, easy, economical, and natural way to control weeds. While boiling water defoliates plants on contact, deep roots are protected under the soil.

It works best as a spot treatment for killing weeds in sidewalks, driveways, and patios, rather than for use across large areas where you’ll have to boil up a lot of kettles to cover the ground. 

Take care when transporting the boiling water from the house to the yard. If you accidentally spill any en route, you could damage prized plants or scald yourself.

5 Natural Ways to Prevent Weeds

Using these natural weed killers as part of an integrated management strategy can offer the best, long-lasting results. Below are some other natural and effective ways to kill weeds.

Corn Gluten Meal

Consider using non-toxic, organic corn gluten as a pre-emergent herbicide. It could be particularly helpful for eliminating crabgrass and dandelions. Scatter the meal over the soil and water in where weeds are a problem to help inhibit root growth. It’s only a good solution for bare soil; otherwise, cornmeal can also suppress sought-after species. 

Landscape Fabric

Landscape fabric installation is a popular chemical-free weed control tool. Covering the soil with these permeable covers still allows access to water and nutrients, while making it difficult for weeds to break through.

However, they have their limitations as a permanent weed-killing solution. Weeds eventually break through, and then removing the large swathes of fabric is tricky.

In hot summer regions, temporary transparent plastic tarps are effective for suppressing weeds through heat-killing solarization. This creates a clean slate and you can then put down organic mulch as a more permanent natural weed-suppressing solution.

Garden Mulch

One of the most effective organic weed-killing methods is to add a fresh layer of organic mulch before weed seeds germinate and then every other growing season.

Coarse materials such as shredded wood, leaf litter, and pine bark are attractive, effective, and economical. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch to an already weed-cleared soil.

Ground Covers

Picking robust perennials of different heights and planting prudently to provide dense cover year-round can help prevent weeds from pushing through. 

Hand Pulling

Nothing beats effective, environmentally friendly hand pulling of weeds. However, it’s a time-consuming, back-breaking job, and you need to excavate whole roots to prevent plants from returning.

FAQ
  • Does the vinegar and soap solution kill weeds permanently?

    Homemade vinegar and soap solutions are contact herbicides that can cause weeds to die back with multiple treatments, but they rarely kill the plant's roots. Persistent weeds often sprout up again later in the season or the following year. Plus, while household vinegar isn’t as harmful as horticultural vinegar, it isn’t as strong and might not wipe out established weeds as effectively.

  • How long does it take for vinegar to kill weeds?

    Using vinegar as a weed killer provides instant and dramatic results. Within a few hours, the plant becomes blackened, and within 24 hours, the vegetative parts (non-roots) have usually died back fully.

  • Can vinegar be poured directly onto the weed to kill them?

    Vinegar can be sprayed directly onto the weeds to make them die back to the roots. If you are using household vinegar, mixing it with a fish-safe surfactant helps it adhere more effectively. Be careful when applying the vinegar. If the spray drifts, it could damage other non-weedy plants in your yard. 

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Vinegar: an alternative to glyphosate? University of Maryland Extension.

  2. Evaluation of acetic acid based herbicides for use in broad-spectrum turfgrass and weed control. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County,

  3. Corn gluten meal: good news for gardeners. Yard and Garden.

  4. Should I use landscape fabric to keep weeds out of my perennial garden? University of New Hampshire Extension Office.

  5. Reusable Black Tarps Suppress Weeds and Make Organic Reduced Tillage More Viable. Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

  6. Iqbal R, Raza MAS, Valipour M, et al. Potential agricultural and environmental benefits of mulches—a review. Bulletin of the National Research Centre. 2020;44(1):75.