DIY Homemade Weed and Poison Ivy Killer
Rid your yard of pesky weeds and poison ivy without the use of harsh, toxic chemicals. You probably have everything you need to make this DIY Homemade Weed and Poison Ivy Killer!
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Welcome to the July Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop, hosted by My Pinterventures. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! I am excited to join in with this creative group of bloggers!
The pin I chose is this Homemade Poison Ivy and Weed Killer that Really Works from Country Living in a Cariboo Valley. 
Have you ever heard the phrase “Leaves of three, beware of me”? Unfortunately, the perimeter of our yard has been overrun with poison ivy. Each year we try to do our best to try to deal with it, but it inevitably comes back and spreads. The problem is that I am extremely allergic to it. The past few years I have had horrible reactions and ended up with multiple visits to my doctor. 
This year, we have decided to tackle it in a different way, without the use of scary, toxic chemicals. While scrolling through Pinterest, a pin for Homemade Poison Ivy and Weed Killer that Really Works from Country Living in a Cariboo Valley caught my eye. Could this be the answer to our problem? It was definitely worth a try!
Materials and Ingredients:
To make this homemade poison ivy and weed killer, you need a few things:
- 2 Gallon Sprayer (I linked a similar one)
- Cleaning Vinegar
- Salt
- Dawn dish detergent
We waited until a warm, sunny day when there was no chance for rain and then we mixed the following recipe:
- 3 cups vinegar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon dish detergent. I used Dawn detergent as the original recipe suggested.
Directions:
- First, mix vinegar with salt until it is dissolved.
- Add the dish detergent.
- Put the mixture into a sprayer.
- Lastly, spray generously onto the leaves of the plants during a dry time.
- Repeat each week as necessary.
So, did this work? This mixture worked very well on killing weeds…especially those pesky unwanted weeds that grow in the cracks between the sidewalk. As far as the poison ivy, it did help. After a week, this is what it looked like. 
And after two applications…it definitely looks like it is dying. 
I was very fortunate. My local community has a Buy Nothing Facebook site where neighbors freely give each other gifts…whether it is a service or an item. A very kind person posted that she is not allergic to poison ivy and would be willing to come and clear some. Can you imagine? What an incredibly generous offer! I purchased her some chemical resistant gloves and she came dressed very cautiously. After two mornings of work, this amazing woman pulled the roots of the plants, bagged, and safely discarded at the town dump.
We will to continue to generously spray the areas that were not pulled. I have been advised to add more salt to the mixture. Do you have any advice on getting rid of poison ivy? I would love to hear your thoughts. 
For more Pinterest inspired projects from this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts, check out the links below ↓
My Pinterventures • Cookies Coffee and Crafts • Farm Girl Reformed • Slices of Life • Domestic Deadline • Decorate and More with Tip • Purple Hues and Me • Life Beyond Kitchen • Mom Home Guide • My Family Thyme • Sew Crafty Crochet • Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After • Sum of their Stories
Now, let’s see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓
What a wonderful person to come and do that for you. It’s so nice to hear stories of kindness. I have no idea how to kill poison ivy, but I hope it’s gone. I have been wanting to try a non-chemical weed killer, especially on the patio where everyone sits, I’ll have to try this.
Wow! The ingredients are reasonably priced so there’s little to lose if you give this a try. Love that someone was willing to come over and pull the poison ivy for you.
I don’t have poison ivy but I do have lots of weeds growing through my mulch. I didn’t see where your recipe would harm good grasses and flowers or not. It’s been too hot lately that I have not been able to go out and pull the weeds up. Kudos for having someone to come and pull up the poison ivy for you! I know you can’t thank her enough!
Hi Gail, This recipe would kill good grasses and flowers, but would work well on those pesky weeds! Stay safe and cool, my friend!
I have a full fence of weeds that I take round up and kill. I like the idea of homemade weed killer instead. Thanks for the recipe.
We have used this recipe on weeds too spraying on a very sunny day nice and early in the morning. Sadly, I really don’t know of anything that works great on poison ivy. What a wonderful neighbor to have! Pinned.
That’s great that your DIY poison ivy killer helped! That is amazing about the woman who helped clean out your poison ivy!
We don’t have poison ivy here in the UK so I can’t help with any ideas to get rid of it I’m afraid. This mix sounds worth trying on all types of weed though. Definitely worth a try. I love that a neighbour came to help you remove it, don’t you love these kind of neighbourly groups, social media at it’s best.
We have tried this a few times for weeds, and didn’t notice that it worked that well, but I’m not sure we had the right amounts. I will have to try your recipe and see if I get some results! Pinned.
I’ll have to give this a try in my yard to get rid of weeds! Thanks for sharing!
Like you, I am terribly allergic to poison ivy. I spray Round-up on it when I see it but I’d prefer a solution that isn’t chemical laden like you used.
Thank you for sharing such a great alternative to traditional weed killer. Saving this to have at all times.
I’ve been fortunate and never run across any posion ivy and I hope it stays that way. It looks like the solution is working, but you’ll probably have to do it multiple times to kill it. And what a lovely lady to come and clear those plants out for you! Pinned.