How to Make a Weed Killer Using Orange Oil, Vinegar and Dishwashing Detergent

Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby, but many people are concerned about the effects of using weed killer around the home. Although commercial weed killers are efficient, they can be dangerous for children and pets playing outdoors on lawns and in back yards. More and more people are "going green," and it is easy to create a completely natural weed killer out of common household ingredients.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket 5% or 10% white vinegar Orange oil Liquid dish soap Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of white vinegar.

2. Add 1 ounce of orange oil.

3. Add 1 ounce of liquid dish detergent.

4. Pour the mixture into a large spray bottle. Shake before use, as the oil will separate.

5. Spray the mixture on the weeds you wish to kill. Be careful to spray in very targeted area, as this mixture will kill any foliage it touches.

6. Once the foliage dies, pull the dead weeds from the location. They should come up easily.

Tips & Warnings

• The standard vinegar that you can purchase in supermarkets is 5 percent acetic acid and this works fine. You can also sometimes find 10 percent vinegar that is commonly used for pickling. Either will work for this purpose. Orange oil can usually be found with the cleansers and furniture polish since that is what it is typically used for. Do it Yourself home repair stores or garden centers will typically carry pure orange oil. Using the spray on a very sunny day will speed up the process. Weed foliage will brown and die in a couple of hours.

• This mixture will eventually kill the roots of the weed, but it may come back a couple of times before that happens. Be prepared to use several applications.

References

• More About Natural Weed Killers