Driveway and sidewalk weeds can bring down the curb appeal of any home. However, they are also often not simple to remove. Understandably, many people just let them grow or remove them infrequently because of the pain they are to eliminate.
The purpose of this article is to help you find a better way to remove driveway and sidewalk weeds. Of the nine methods that we have provided below, we hope you find one that helps you simplify the task to get you back to doing the things you enjoy.
Table of Contents
Ways To Get Rid Weeds In Driveway Cracks
Weed Killers
Store bought weed and grass killers such as Roundup , Ortho, and Spectracide are extremely efficient at killing almost any weeds found in cracks. Simply spray the product where the weeds are growing and wait for it to kill off the weeds, usually starting within a few hours.
You must be careful with this type of weed killer around vegetation that you do not wish to kill. It has has the potential to kill flowers, grass, and more if you are careless with the spray.
You should be aware that there are many people with concerns about the use of chemical-based weed killers. One of the major concerns is the active ingredient glyphosate found in several weed killers that is believed by many to cause cancer. Before you use any of these products you should to do your own research on them and use them at your own risk.
Crack Weeder Tool
A crack weeder is a hand tool that is specifically designed to remove weeds from cracks. One of our favorites is the Grebstk that is pictured above and is available on Amazon for purchase. It features an L-shaped stainless steel blade. The outside of the blade is sharp for cutting whereas the inner blade is not sharp and is designed to pull weeds from cracks.
See our article on the Best Weed Removal Tools for other high-quality tools used to get rid of weeds.
Weed Wacker
A weed wacker can be used in the cracks to whip away the weeds. This is actually a quick method once you learn the correct angle to hold to weed wacker. However, there are two concerns with this method.
First, you tend to burn through a lot of trimmer line from hitting the cement as you work along the crack. While trimmer line isn’t overwhelmingly expensive, you might go through more than you would like, particularly if you have a bigger driveway with a lot of weeds.
Secondly, there is a risk of injuring when using a weed wacker on a driveway. This is certainly true on driveways and sidewalks that have loose rocks or other small material on them. If you consider using this method, do so at your own risks and wear protective gear such as safety goggles and thick material clothing.
Vinegar
Vinegar does a solid job of taking care of those pesky cement weeds. However, don’t start walking to the pantry to get the stuff that has likely been sitting in there for countless days. You’ll want to order an industrial strength vinegar such as this Harris 30% Pure Vinegar found on Amazon. The high acetic acid content of this vinegar will typically start to work on weeds within several hours with noticeable results.
This is an excellent alternative to the store bought weed killers. Best of all, it is an all-natural solution that does not contain potentially harmful chemicals like glyphosate.
Fill The Cracks
Filling in driveway and sidewalk cracks with an appropriate filling product is the best permanent solutions to eliminate crack weeds. Check out the quick video below by Measure Once which shows how to fill cracks using epoxy. This will take some time to complete, but it is well worth it considering crack weeds will no longer be a problem.
Boiling Water
Fire up the old tea kettle, let the water boil, and then pour it over the weeds. The weeds will die from the extreme heat.
This is not the most practical method considering it is difficult to haul around a lot of boiling water at once. Furthermore, you have to get to the water on the weeds while it is still boiling to be the most effective. You also are dealing with an obvious safety concern when transporting boiling water around the yard.
We would only recommend this method to be used over a small area. Several people have comment that boiling water does not kill down to the root and weeds eventually reappear. While this might not be the ideal long-term solution to crack weeds, it is worth experimenting.
Torch Them
A wand-style torch, such as the Mag-Torch, hooks to a 20 pound propane tank. This is the same size tank that is typically found connected to a grill. A larger tank can be used if desired (read more about propane tank sizes here). You simply run the torch flame over the weeds to kill them by fire.
The downsides to the this method are the cost of propane and the burden of having to haul around the tank as you move around the driveway. Additionally, the flame has the ability to turn the cement black when not used in a precise manner.
Manually
The hands are an excellent tool and there is nothing wrong with sitting down to pull them by hand. This is a great way to work on your tan while maybe catching up on your favorite podcast or listening to music. While it may be difficult, pulling the full weed out, down to the root, will provide the best results. If you are willing to shell out some allowance money, you might want to get the kids involved to speed up the process.
Screwdriver
An old flat head screwdriver is a good tool to leave in the garage to grab for weeding. You can use it to drag through the cracks or dig up stubborn weeds. It can also be used as a weeder in the garden in lieu of an expense weeder tool.
Conclusion
Getting rid of weeds out of the driveway and sidewalk cracks does not have to ruin your weekend. Experiment with some of the methods above to find out what works best for you. Once you find your preferred method, we think you will find eliminating weeds in the cracks is a simple process that can be done routinely to maintain the curb appeal of your home.