Bleach Vs Vinegar for Weeds                

Nowadays, many gardeners are foregoing expensive commercial herbicides in favor of using home methods for weed control. Among the many organic weed killers available, the most potent ones that most of us have used since gardening began are bleach and vinegar.

Both bleach and vinegar are powerful non-selective weed killers in the home. They are less expensive and more widely available than commercial herbicides.

Because both are equally effective, it is easy to become confused regarding bleach vs vinegar for weeds.

This page will help you choose based on how they function, how to use them safely, and what outcomes you can expect.

Bleach Vs Vinegar for Weeds

Bleach mechanism as a weed killer

Due to its alkaline nature, bleach is best utilized for pesky plants on your patio. It has proven to be challenging to use in flower beds or lawns.

The same ingredient that makes bleach a well-known cleaner and disinfectant makes it a lethal herbicide. Because of its strong alkalinity, sodium hypochlorite burns plants.

When in large concentrations, it can have disastrous repercussions on your soil, making it difficult for any new plant to grow.

Although chlorine is a vital component of the soil, it becomes hazardous in large quantities. Reminiscing chemistry, you’ll recall that household chlorine bleach almost tipped the pH scales to 11.

As the bleach slowly penetrates the soil, it raises the pH level to lethal levels, preventing the plant from absorbing nutrients and thus stopping growth.

At the same time, the bleach’s sodium content overburdens the plant’s system. Soon after, you’ll see the plant browning and withering, and it will die after a few days.

The advantage of bleach is that it works rapidly. However, it is still ineffective in eliminating tenacious invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed and poison ivy. But, it does a fantastic job of removing tiny weeds from your patio stones.

Vinegar mechanism as a weed killer

The ability of vinegar to kill weeds is determined by the concentration of acetic acid in the vinegar. Although the acetic acid concentration in our kitchen vinegar is less than 7%, it is still effective in destroying little weeds.

Weeds with solid roots, such as dandelion, will be difficult to eradicate with home vinegar.

Also read: Does vinegar kills weeds down to the root?

Nonetheless, home vinegar provides excellent weed control. Acetic acid, the weed-killing component in vinegar, is absorbed by the plant’s leaves, damaging the cells. After treatment, the leaves will yellow and die within a few days.

For stubborn weeds, use horticulture vinegar, which has a more significant percentage of 20 to 25% acetic acid concentration and has a better probability of destroying weeds.

Also: what kind of vinegar is good for killing weeds

When vinegar is used frequently, it decreases the pH of the soil, making it exceedingly acidic. However, the caustic effects are reversible depending on the acetic acid content in the vinegar and the frequency of administration.

Otherwise, if you’re concerned about the household vinegar altering the pH of your soil, water your garden, and the effects will fade.

How to Apply Bleach or Vinegar

It is critical to consider your own and your family’s safety before using any combo. All of them are caustic and can cause skin burns.

As a result, keep your dogs and children away from the area where you’re applying it, and use safety goggles, gloves, a facemask, and closed shoes. You are now ready to use your organic weed killer.

Fill a spray bottle with your preferred weedkiller; this allows you to spray directly on the targeted plant. Nevertheless, keep in mind that both of them are non-selective weed killers.

To avoid washouts and splash on healthy plants, use them in calm weather when rain is at least 24 hours away.

Also read: Can I spray weed killers prior rain?

Can you Mix Bleach and Vinegar to Kill Weeds?

When you combine a base and an acid, you get salt and water; acetic acid is a weak acid, while bleach is a base. So, combining the two will result in an ineffective weed-control solution.

Furthermore, bleach bottles are frequently labeled with a warning against combining with other chemicals. Because it may emit lethal chlorine gas, instead of combining them, consider employing them both at various periods to achieve the desired result.

Also read: best herbicide for dandelion that won’t kill grass

FAQs About Bleach Vs Vinegar for Weeds

When it comes to bleach vs vinegar for weeds, they’re both like the silver bullet to the werewolf or garlic to the Dracula.

They practically have similar skills in destroying weeds, neither of which discriminates between which plants to kill, and both have harmful consequences on the soil.

They are all to be used with caution and sparingly. The characteristics make selection extremely difficult.

However, after reading this article, you should have no trouble understanding how they work as weedkillers. You can use any as long as it’s convenient for you.

Even better, why not use both to remove weeds from your property?