Garden weeds are unattractive and can pop up in the worst places – in between paving slabs, in cracks on driveways and in the middle of patios.
While it’s tempting to grab a chemical weed killer, this can be harmful to the surrounding environment and can be harmful to pets and other animals. Instead, gardeners can use natural methods that have less of an impact on a garden’s natural ecosystem – such as boiling water.
With this in mind, fans of cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch have shared their advice for removing weeds without resorting to chemicals.
Mrs Hinch, whose full name is Sophie Hinchliffe, is a gardening, lifestyle and cleaning enthusiast with more than 4.8 million followers on Instagram. Her fans have created their own Facebook groups in recent years where they share their own gardening and household queries.
On one such group, Julie Lucas posted: “Any ideas for killing weeds on patio slabs please?”
The post was inundated with almost 50 comments from Mrs Hinch fans. However, the most suggested response was to use boiling water.
Gill Cardwell Jones said: “Boil your kettle and while it’s still bubbling, pour over the weeds and they’ll never come back. My gardener told me that and it works great. Obviously, don’t do it to weeds on your grass though.”
Victoria Jewell commented: “I just boil the kettle and pour it on. Kills them straight away!” Jean Clough and Kim Hudspeth agreed with other users and suggested using “boiling water”.
Meanwhile, Facebook user Natalie Dawson suggested using “boiling water and salt” to banish weeds for good.
Boiling water almost instantaneously destroys weeds. The heat of the water kills the plant’s root tissue which shocks the plant. The plant will wither and die within a day or two. It’s one of the best ways to kill weeds on paths and driveways.
However, this method should not be used on lawns or flower beds as the water could destroy grass and plants gardeners want to keep.
Other suggestions from Mrs Hinch fans for removing weeds included using salt, white vinegar and a weed burner.
Irene Ducros said: “Salt – just salt. It does the job. I’ve been using it for years now and nothing else seems to work.” Jan Mchugh replied to the post: “Mixture of salt, washing up liquid and white vinegar.”
Ally East suggested: “I tried the vinegar and washing up water method and it works, but have now decided that I like the effect of moss in amongst my slabs. Gives it a cottage-y feel, like the paving you see in gardens of listed buildings. I just pull up the weeds.”
Liz Hogan wrote: “One litre of white vinegar. Do it when the sun is on it.”
Jacqui Spelman replied: “I was told pure vinegar they get in the chippies and water it down. I used it and it’s brilliant. Does the job and quickly. Just don’t get it on the grass as it burns it.”
Paula Forester commented: “I use a weed burner. It kills right down to the root.”
