Save Your Back: Remove Weeds From Gravel Driveways With A Tool You Already Own

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No matter how well you prepared the ground initially for your gravel driveway, over time, you are going to see weeds popping up through the surface. If you don't like using chemicals or other corrosive substances to poison the weeds, you probably have no other choice than to pull them by hand. While it's possible to stop weeds from growing in gravel without dangerous chemicals, did you know that you can also remove the weeds from your driveway with a tool you already own — and save your back at the same time? The steam cleaner that's sitting in your garage or down in your basement can easily help you to clear all those weeds from your driveway.

The steam from a steam cleaner is just like exposing the weeds to boiling water, which damages plant cells, thus effectively killing the most common types of weeds growing in your gravel. Steam actually melts the cuticle, which is the waxy covering on the surface of a plant's leaves and stems, dehydrating the plant and killing it. While your neighbors might raise an eyebrow if they spot you steam-cleaning your driveway, steaming could be the future of weed removal. Back in 2014, the University of Colorado Boulder became the first college campus in North America to trial a steam-based weed-killing machine, which was manufactured by Australian company Weedtechnics. The specialist machine delivers the steam at low pressure via a hooded nozzle, which effectively protects other plants not targeted. You can use the same idea by utilizing your home steam cleaner on your gravel driveway, because you don't have to worry about avoiding treasured plants.

It shouldn't surprise you to learn that steaming your weeds does actually work, and steam cleaning your gravel driveway is quite easy. You can basically use any type of steamer you have at home for cleaning your floors, tiles, and grouting, but while a handheld steamer should work, you'll be bending over constantly to use it. To save your back, you'll want one with a long handle, like this McCulloch heavy-duty steam cleaner. The steam should be above 200 degrees Fahrenheit to be effective. 

You want to use a smaller attachment that will direct the steam straight onto the weed. If your steamer has a small round or triangular head, that would be perfect. Hold the head over each weed for around 30 seconds, while releasing the steam. You should find that 24 to 48 hours later, the weeds will be looking quite wilted, dry, and almost brown. This process is so effective that eventually the roots will also die with repeated steaming, so you can either leave the weeds to decompose or go along after a few days and just pick them up off the gravel. 

If you find that a few weeds appear to be coming back, you can always follow the steaming by pouring boiling water on those stubborn weeds to kill the roots. Thanks to the heat of the steam, any weed seeds that are sitting dormant in the gravel will germinate readily, and you can pass over the driveway with the steam cleaner again to get rid of those as well. Over time, you'll find that your weed problem will be greatly reduced if you decide to use this method.