The 'easy and instant' way to remove weeds that won't harm pets

Gardening experts have shared a simple and effective method to remove weeds – which doesn’t involve using salt or vinegar. Weeds can be a pain in any garden, especially if you have pets and need to find a safe way to remove weeds, reports the MirrorOnline.

You might think using salt or vinegar to get rid of weeds is harmless, but keen gardeners have warned online that these household items could be toxic. They suggest using a different method that’s even easier.

Members of a UK Facebook group dedicated to gardening discussed the topic. One person asked for tips on how to get rid of weeds growing between their paving stones which wouldn’t harm their pet cat, The Express reports.

Some people suggested the old salt or vinegar method to kill weeds, but others quickly said this could harm pets and might damage the paving stones or the soil around the weeds.

Cass Heaphy, the digital director at Paving Direct, warned against using salt to kill weeds. He said: “Do not use salt to kill weeds as this can damage paving. Not only can salt damage paving, it can also harm soil health and prevent future growth if used on weeds in other areas of the garden.”

But don’t worry, there’s a simple solution that doesn’t involve salt or vinegar – boiling water. One social media user wrote: “I prefer using boiling water. It’s much better than the white vinegar and salt method as it works instantly,” they wrote. “If you’re trying to get rid of large paving weeds it’s best to trim them down so the boiling water can reach the roots better.”

Gardener’s World also suggests using boiling water as a pet-friendly weed killer. They call this method “very easy, convenient and cheap”. They explain: “Boiling water can kill weeds. This is a particularly useful technique on paths and paving, where you don’t have to worry about nearby plants being affected. You can also use it on a group of weeds in a border, taking care not to pour it onto nearby plants that you want to keep. Save energy by using the water that you’ve just used for boiling vegetables.”