This expert-approved garden hack will kill your driveway weeds overnight – and it costs just 65p

As summer approaches, many of us will be working tirelessly on getting our gardens ready for hosting and relaxing. And that, unfortunately, means weeding the driveway, a dreaded task, but one you might be able to make easier with this cheap weed killer hack.

Although it's certainly not as exciting as keeping up with this year's fun garden trends, weeding is a necessity to ensure your plot always looks its best. Similar to how to get rid of weeds in your grass, removing them from your driveway takes a particular method and set of tools.

Weeding isn't fun for anyone, which is why when we saw this easy and affordable weed-killing hack, we felt compelled to share it.

Cheap weed killer hack approved by experts

Weeds are a real nuisance when it comes to the upkeep of your garden, unless you're into the look of the rewilding trend, and can be a recurring nightmare for years. This becomes especially irksome when they start growing between pavement flags and broken concrete.

The hack, which originated on TikTok, was shared by Dr Janine Bowring and consisted of her making a saltwater solution with one part salt and two parts water. She is then seen stirring the mixture to pour it over the weeds growing through the driveway and pavement gaps to kill any vegetation.

"A solution of one part salt and two parts water will kill weeds growing through driveways and paths. In fact, this level of concentration is classed as a fairly strong mix, and a weaker solution should still be effective when weeds are appearing amongst cracks or between bricks or paving slabs, with a mix of one part salt to three parts water, killing most annual, small weeds and the leaves and stems of broadleaf weeds such as dandelions," explains Lucie Bradley, gardening expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.

She goes on to say that, "Salt works to kill weeds as it draws water out of the plant cells, causing the plants to dehydrate rapidly, which destroys the plant cells so you will see the weeds start to wilt, their leaves and stems turn from green to brown and then die. You will see this occur if you spray or pour salty water onto weeds."

Lucie Bradley

With over 28 years working in the garden industry, Lucie has been fortunate enough to spend every day speaking to both amateur and professional gardeners. Encouraged to garden since she was old enough to walk, she believes that you can never know everything about gardening, as it is constantly evolving.

This sustainable garden idea reduces the amount of chemicals around your plants and, of course, around you too.

"This salty solution should be added to either a spray bottle or watering can, which you can use to apply the solution directly to the weeds where they are appearing on your drive or pathway. Ideally, the solution needs to be applied directly to the weeds, not onto other plants and avoiding paving slabs, etc as much as possible," instructs Lucie.

"It is important to apply this solution on a dry, warm, sunny day and when rain is not forecast for at least 24 to 48 hours. This prevents the solution from being diluted or washed off the weeds and also enables the sun to boost the effectiveness of the salt working to dehydrate the plant cells," she adds.

Then, after applying this solution to the weeds, you should see a reaction within a couple of hours, when they will start to wilt. After a couple of days, they should have wilted and be changing from healthy green to brown, and after 10 days, the weeds should be dead.

If you're worried about weeds growing amongst your other plants, use old towels in your garden as weed barriers; the salt solution will damage your other plants.

Shop weed solutions

Now that you've naturally tackled the pesky driveway weeks, why not follow a royal gardener's advice for the jobs to get done this spring? Summer will be here before you know it, and the garden won't prepare itself to accommodate your best outdoor furniture in style.