The Household Solution That Fights Off Unwanted Weeds In The Garden

There sometimes comes a moment, usually in the peak of summer, where it suddenly looks like the weeds in your garden have declared war against you. But wait — before you reach for an arsenal of chemical weapons, there could be a solution sitting in your kitchen cupboard. And yes, it probably smells like salad dressing.

It turns out that Epsom salt and white vinegar are a great weed killer combo; vinegar's acidity will literally rip through a weed like no one's business and Epsom salt dries it out. It's an extra useful hack to know because you'll never need gloves or goggles or to unleash a load of chemicals into your lawn. Simply pour equal parts Epsom salt into vinegar, mix it up and spritz it directly onto the weeds in question. From there, it shouldn't take long for the weeds to start shrivelling up. Some people also advise adding dish soap into the mix too.

Be very careful, however, not to spray it on your prized plants and vegetables because this is a mix that will kill any plant it comes into contact with. Keep it far away from your soil, plants, and prized cucumbers. This hack works so well because sprays are particularly useful to access gravel paths and cracks in the sidewalk, places that can be hard to reach in with your hand. So if you're looking for reasons why you should be using white vinegar in your garden, this one might be the best yet.

When you're in a bind and you want a solution fast, it's natural to look for the most extreme or high-tech sounding solutions, something with a list of chemicals the length of your arm. Meanwhile, things like vinegar and Epsom salt have probably been in your kitchen this whole time, so it's easy to shrug them off as being too gentle or too holistic. And fair enough — there are lots of DIY guides that promise miracles, but honestly there are some strategies to remove weeds that aren't worth your time. This one, however? This works. It may not require a user manual, but it works. Vinegar breaks down the top growth while Epsom salt dries out whatever is left in a two-prong approach. It's really simple chemistry.

Epsom salt does a fantastic job as a weed killer and there are other smart ways to use Epsom salt, too, like helping your tomato plants absorb nutrients or just soaking your sore feet after you've been out gardening all day. But for this case, Epsom salt is on murder duty and combined with white vinegar, it does that job all too well.