I tested DIY methods of killing garden and patio weeds – an amazing 1p trick beat a £9 product

MY garden is finally blooming now the sun has decided to come out.

But unfortunately, so are the many weeds that blight the flower beds and patio.

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Commercial weedkillers aren't cheap at close to £9 a bottle, so I decided to experiment with store cupboard staples like washing up liquid and vinegar, which are believed to be good DIY alternatives for ridding your garden of weeds.

I was also keen to try an unusual method of removing weeds with boiling hot water - at the risk of looking bonkers to any neighbours who spotted me pottering around my garden with my kettle.

My tests were conducted on isolated patio weeds, so it was easy to see the results.

Here’s how each DIY method fared - with pictures of before and after.

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WEED KILLER - £8.99

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For weedkiller I chose Roundup, which cost £8.99 for a 1.2litre bottle from Robert Dyas.

This is an assassin as far as plants are concerned - within three days the weed I treated looked fairly brown, only a few sprigs of green were left. 

I'd say this is pretty effective, although not cheap.

RATING: 8/10 

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BOILING WATER - 1p

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For my next test, I tipped a some boiling water from the kettle on a troublesome weed on my patio.

I was amazed by the results - a healthy green weed shrivelled and died after just a few days, which seems like a big success.

Of course, it’s hard to tell if the roots have been truly killed as well, but from the surface the results seemed just as effective as weedkiller.

The one downside is that it’s obviously not free to keep firing up the kettle.

Each time I do so it costs me 1p, which could add up over time if I’m constantly boiling water for the garden. 

But, it does seem to work pretty well and I’d definitely consider using it in sensitive areas of the garden where I don’t want to apply chemicals.

RATING: 9/10

WASHING UP LIQUID - 69p

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Dish soap seemed to kill the weed well, but it also made a sticky mess on the patio.

I used Aldi’s 500ml Magnum washing up liquid, costing 69p. 

It’s obviously much cheaper than weed killer, and I’d definitely try it again to save myself from using the professional stuff.

But beware of the slippery puddle it leaves behind.

RATING: 8/10

MALT VINEGAR - 35p

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Surprisingly, this trick didn't work at all - the weed looked slightly less green but survived being doused in acid.

Despite what I'd heard, it turns out this is a non-starter.

RATING: 1/10

WASHING UP LIQUID AND VINEGAR - £1.04

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The "Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips" Facebook group recently discussed how a mixture of white vinegar and washing up liquid can be an amazing DIY weedkiller, with some also throwing salt in as well.

I decided to use a half and half combo of washing up liquid and malt vinegar - the only type I had in my cupboard - to see if it would also do the trick.

It did work surprisingly well. The weeds were a sorry brown mess when I returned to them three days later.

There was an odd residue left behind, but still I was impressed.

I couldn’t say if it was any better than straight washing up liquid, but either way I’ll continue to experiment with both in the future to save myself cash. 

After all, washing up liquid is just 69p and distilled vinegar is 35p from Aldi - a bargain compared to fancy weedkiller.

RATING: 8/10

A GAME CHANGER

The long term success of my weed-killing tests remains to be seen as it’s hard to know if the roots were completely removed, or if it was just the surface.

But the effect of boiling water was definitely a surprise game-changer and I’d recommend giving it a go if you don’t like tipping chemicals on your garden. 

Even if it doesn’t completely kill the weeds, it might at least reduce the amount of weedkiller you need to get the job done, so I’m going to try doing it more in the future.

I'll also be experimenting more with washing up liquid and white vinegar as a DIY substitute for the commercial stuff.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Jamie Shipley, gardening expert and managing director of Hedges Direct, cautioned: "Boiling water can be an effective and quick treatment but won't prevent weeds long term."

Hannah Rowson, assistant garden centre manager at the J.Parker's website, added: "You can kill off weeds by pouring boiled water from your kettle over them.

"But be careful not to splash your toes, of course! The hot water shocks the plant, killing it within a day or two."

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However, she cautioned that using boiled water is much easier to do for patio weeds, but you should exercise caution when trying this in the garden.

"The boiling water can damage neighbouring plants in a border display," she explained.

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