I spent years trying to keep weeds off my drive — then I tried a new method
Lifestyle opinion
Steffan Rhys Deputy Content Hub Director
Steffan is Reach PLC's Deputy Content Hub Director. He is also Reach's Head of Spare Time. He writes, edits and oversees content across Reach's large portfolio of websites, including some of the UK's largest national news websites like the Mirror and Express to its biggest regional websites like WalesOnline, the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo. He covers everything from food, cooking and recipes to gardening, cleaning and DIY hacks to travel and places to go both inside the UK and abroad. He is particularly interested in healthy eating and ultra-processed food, as well as amazing places to go within the UK (he knows a lot about Wales). He also loves discovering and writing about pubs, restaurants, beaches and historic places to visit. He has won several awards, including Story of the Year at the Wales Media Awards for his work on a 50th anniversary tribute to the Aberfan disaster, as well as Website of the Year and Digital Initiative of the Year at the Regional Press Awards and News Website of the Year several times at the Wales Media Awards. He has been shortlisted for several more awards, including Online Editor of the Year at the Online Media Awards. He has also spoken at events, including most recently at the Welsh Crucible where he advised researchers on engaging with the media. If you think you have a story, get in touch by emailing steffan.rhys@reachplc.com He is a Welsh speaker who grew up in Carmarthenshire, joined Reach in 2006 and has worked in our Pontypridd, Bridgend, Carmarthen, London and Cardiff offices. He grew up supporting the Scarlets in rugby and Liverpool in football, and now cycles and runs to keep fit.
The pesky weeds on my driveway have been a constant thorn in my side for years. My block paving driveway, composed of thousands of individual bricks, is often besieged by an unsightly mix of weeds, grass and moss.
When it's weed-free (a rare occurrence), it's a sight to behold - I absolutely adore it. But when the weeds stage their takeover, it's a sorry sight that leaves me too embarrassed to even step outside.
One kind-hearted neighbour even offered to tackle the problem, spending days weeding, only for the green invaders to return swiftly. It was a crushing blow for both of us, reports the Express.
I've tried everything from laboriously scrubbing around several thousand bricks with a wire brush (which left my back crying out in agony) to filling the gaps between the blocks with setting sand and kiln-dried sand. I even gave vinegar a go after neighbours mentioned that the previous homeowner swore by it (though they did caution that it left the street reeking of a chippy for weeks).
At one point, I was just a mouse click away from purchasing a fancy gadget designed to incinerate weeds. It resembled a litter-picker but with a flame or very hot element at the end.
Despite the clear time commitment involved in singeing thousands of weeds individually, I was rather keen to give it a whirl. However, I decided to try one last method before resorting to this.
I'm chuffed to bits that I did. This method was not only quicker than any other, but weeks later, only a smattering of weeds have dared to reappear, a stark contrast to their previous rampant regrowth.
Here's a rundown of the methods I tried before stumbling upon the one that actually did the trick.
Scrubbing with wire brush
I gave the wire weeding brush method a go more than once. After the second or third attempt, it dawned on me that I needed to do something to stop the weeds from sprouting in the gaps between the bricks.
Someone suggested trying setting sand. This is sand that you sweep into the cracks and then lightly water so it hardens like cement, preventing any weed growth.
Kiln-dried and setting sand
I also tried kiln-dried sand, a fine, dry sand that fills the joints and supposedly creates a strong, interlocking structure that keeps the weeds at bay. It looked much better than the setting sand I'd used, but it didn't halt the weed invasion.
Weed killer
It was obvious very quickly that this method would be incredibly inefficient, time-consuming and ultimately pointless. After buying a bottle of weed killer and starting to spray each individual weed by hand, I realised that I would need several bottles and hours of time to get it done.
And I also knew that given it would only kill the weeds currently there, it would do nothing at all to prevent new weeds growing. The spray did kill the weeds it touched, but it was not the right solution for my problem.
Bleach
The thought of dousing the garden in bleach was off-putting, not to mention the sheer volume needed to tackle the weeds. Concerns also arose about rinsing away the bleach after its weed-killing spree.
Plus, online gardening gurus suggest that while bleach may zap surface weeds, it doesn't get to the root of the problem, rendering the effort somewhat futile.
Vinegar, lemon juice and boiling water
Phoebe Cornish applied vinegar to weeds and said"the weeds looked colourless and shrivelled within a few hours of soaking them in the vinegar solution".
She said: "And when I checked back the following morning, I was truly impressed with the effectiveness of this gardening hack. It's a great way to flatten and weaken weeds before pulling them out of the ground, but it doesn't replace the need to dig out the roots to prevent them from growing back."
Another person tried using lemon juice only to find it ineffective, noting: "If anything, the weeds seemed to have grown 24 hours later."
The logistics of securing enough lemon juice for a large area would be baffling – you'd practically need a lemon orchard.
Boiling water was another tactic tested; it caused an immediate wilting of dandelion leaves and flowers, yet the pesky weed persisted a day later due to the intact root.
The winning method: salt
She wasn't alone in championing salt's effectiveness: "Salt really does make a great weed killer as it will kill just about anything that grows."
National Garden Bureau member and Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, told Homes and Gardens, though he cautioned: "But [it's] so toxic it simply can't be recommended in most garden settings."
However, salt doesn't just destroy the foliage when sprayed on - it would also eliminate the roots if watered into the soil. Across various websites, gardeners claimed salt "essentially sterilises" the ground "preventing vegetative re-growth".
On another platform, someone declared: "If you salt the soil, no plant will ever grow there again."
How to use salt to kill weeds
This sounded amazing to me so I went for it. I bought 20kg of rock salt from Amazon (which turned out to be an awful lot of salt — you can buy it here). I already had a pressure sprayer with a large capacity of at least 10 litres ( you can see an example here).
The initial approach I tried involved adding a substantial quantity of rock salt to my sprayer, followed by several litres of warm water. I mixed it with a large wooden plank to dissolve the salt as thoroughly as possible before starting to spray the weeds.
Like several of the techniques mentioned earlier, I quickly realised this would be quite time-consuming (although considerably faster than targeting individual weeds with a handheld weedkiller bottle). So, I opted to remove the lid from the pressure sprayer and pour out the salt water mixture over as wide an area as possible.
With just a few refills of my large pressure sprayer, I managed to cover the entire driveway in no time. I added extra clumps of rock salt to particularly weed-infested areas around the edge of the drive, where years of accumulated dirt and sand had created a haven for weeds.
Within a matter of hours, the weeds were withered and appeared decidedly dead. Granted, large sections of my drive were now strewn with piles of rock salt or the white residue left by the salt water.
However, I simply rinsed this off a few days later using a power washer (a garden hose would do the trick too).
Most crucially, the weeds were undeniably dead. It's been several weeks since I tried this method and, while some new weeds have started to sprout, their growth rate is nowhere near as fast as before. So, it seems there's some truth to the notion that salt renders soil inhospitable to plant life.
Obviously, you wouldn't want to use this method in a garden where you're aiming to kill weeds but preserve other plants and flowers, as the salt would obliterate everything. But for a patio or driveway, it could be just the solution you're after.
My colleague, Angela, also found success with the same method. After using salt to tackle weeds, she reported: "Nine hours later, the weeds were completely dead, so I was easily able to dig them out. I didn't use a fancy tool for this; a regular screwdriver sufficed. Curious as to whether the weeds would reappear, I checked back in on the area over the next two weeks, and no weeds seemed to have grown back."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
I spent years trying to keep weeds off my drive — then I tried a new method
I have tried all kinds of methods for keeping the weeds off my drive over the years - and now I've found one that actually works Lifestyle opinion Steffan Rhys Deputy Content Hub Director Steffan is Reach PLC's Deputy Content Hub Director. He is also Reach's Head of Spare Time. He writes, edits and oversees content across Reach's large portfolio of websites, including some of the UK's largest national news websites like the Mirror and Express to its biggest regional websites like WalesOnline, the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo. He covers everything from food, cooking and recipes to gardening, cleaning and DIY hacks to travel and places to go both inside the UK and abroad. He is particularly interested in healthy eating and ultra-processed food, as well as amazing places to go within the UK (he knows a lot about Wales). He also loves discovering and writing about pubs, restaurants, beaches and historic places to visit. He has won several awards, including Story of the Year at the Wales Media Awards for his work on a 50th anniversary tribute to the Aberfan disaster, as well as Website of the Year and Digital Initiative of the Year at the Regional Press Awards and News Website of the Year several times at the Wales Media Awards. He has been shortlisted for several more awards, including Online Editor of the Year at the Online Media Awards. He has also spoken at events, including most recently at the Welsh Crucible where he advised researchers on engaging with the media. If you think you have a story, get in touch by emailing He is a Welsh speaker who grew up in Carmarthenshire, joined Reach in 2006 and has worked in our Pontypridd, Bridgend, Carmarthen, London and Cardiff offices. He grew up supporting the Scarlets in rugby and Liverpool in football, and now cycles and runs to keep fit. The pesky weeds on my driveway have been a constant thorn in my side for years. My block paving driveway, composed of thousands of individual bricks, is often besieged by an unsightly mix of weeds, grass and moss. When it's weed-free (a rare occurrence), it's a sight to behold - I absolutely adore it. But when the weeds stage their takeover, it's a sorry sight that leaves me too embarrassed to even step outside. One kind-hearted neighbour even offered to tackle the problem, spending days weeding, only for the green invaders to return swiftly. It was a crushing blow for both of us, reports the Express. I've tried everything from laboriously scrubbing around several thousand bricks with a wire brush (which left my back crying out in agony) to filling the gaps between the blocks with setting sand and kiln-dried sand. I even gave vinegar a go after neighbours mentioned that the previous homeowner swore by it (though they did caution that it left the street reeking of a chippy for weeks). At one point, I was just a mouse click away from purchasing a fancy gadget designed to incinerate weeds. It resembled a litter-picker but with a flame or very hot element at the end. Despite the clear time commitment involved in singeing thousands of weeds individually, I was rather keen to give it a whirl. However, I decided to try one last method before resorting to this. I'm chuffed to bits that I did. This method was not only quicker than any other, but weeks later, only a smattering of weeds have dared to reappear, a stark contrast to their previous rampant regrowth. Here's a rundown of the methods I tried before stumbling upon the one that actually did the trick. Scrubbing with wire brush I gave the wire weeding brush method a go more than once. After the second or third attempt, it dawned on me that I needed to do something to stop the weeds from sprouting in the gaps between the bricks. Someone suggested trying setting sand. This is sand that you sweep into the cracks and then lightly water so it hardens like cement, preventing any weed growth. Kiln-dried and setting sand I also tried kiln-dried sand, a fine, dry sand that fills the joints and supposedly creates a strong, interlocking structure that keeps the weeds at bay. It looked much better than the setting sand I'd used, but it didn't halt the weed invasion. Weed killer It was obvious very quickly that this method would be incredibly inefficient, time-consuming and ultimately pointless. After buying a bottle of weed killer and starting to spray each individual weed by hand, I realised that I would need several bottles and hours of time to get it done. And I also knew that given it would only kill the weeds currently there, it would do nothing at all to prevent new weeds growing. The spray did kill the weeds it touched, but it was not the right solution for my problem. Bleach The thought of dousing the garden in bleach was off-putting, not to mention the sheer volume needed to tackle the weeds. Concerns also arose about rinsing away the bleach after its weed-killing spree. Plus, online gardening gurus suggest that while bleach may zap surface weeds, it doesn't get to the root of the problem, rendering the effort somewhat futile. Vinegar, lemon juice and boiling water Phoebe Cornish applied vinegar to weeds and said"the weeds looked colourless and shrivelled within a few hours of soaking them in the vinegar solution". She said: "And when I checked back the following morning, I was truly impressed with the effectiveness of this gardening hack. It's a great way to flatten and weaken weeds before pulling them out of the ground, but it doesn't replace the need to dig out the roots to prevent them from growing back." Another person tried using lemon juice only to find it ineffective, noting: "If anything, the weeds seemed to have grown 24 hours later." The logistics of securing enough lemon juice for a large area would be baffling – you'd practically need a lemon orchard. Boiling water was another tactic tested; it caused an immediate wilting of dandelion leaves and flowers, yet the pesky weed persisted a day later due to the intact root. The winning method: salt She wasn't alone in championing salt's effectiveness: "Salt really does make a great weed killer as it will kill just about anything that grows." National Garden Bureau member and Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, told Homes and Gardens, though he cautioned: "But [it's] so toxic it simply can't be recommended in most garden settings." However, salt doesn't just destroy the foliage when sprayed on - it would also eliminate the roots if watered into the soil. Across various websites, gardeners claimed salt "essentially sterilises" the ground "preventing vegetative re-growth". On another platform, someone declared: "If you salt the soil, no plant will ever grow there again." How to use salt to kill weeds This sounded amazing to me so I went for it. I bought 20kg of rock salt from Amazon (which turned out to be an awful lot of salt — you can buy it here). I already had a pressure sprayer with a large capacity of at least 10 litres ( you can see an example here). The initial approach I tried involved adding a substantial quantity of rock salt to my sprayer, followed by several litres of warm water. I mixed it with a large wooden plank to dissolve the salt as thoroughly as possible before starting to spray the weeds. Like several of the techniques mentioned earlier, I quickly realised this would be quite time-consuming (although considerably faster than targeting individual weeds with a handheld weedkiller bottle). So, I opted to remove the lid from the pressure sprayer and pour out the salt water mixture over as wide an area as possible. With just a few refills of my large pressure sprayer, I managed to cover the entire driveway in no time. I added extra clumps of rock salt to particularly weed-infested areas around the edge of the drive, where years of accumulated dirt and sand had created a haven for weeds. Within a matter of hours, the weeds were withered and appeared decidedly dead. Granted, large sections of my drive were now strewn with piles of rock salt or the white residue left by the salt water. However, I simply rinsed this off a few days later using a power washer (a garden hose would do the trick too). Most crucially, the weeds were undeniably dead. It's been several weeks since I tried this method and, while some new weeds have started to sprout, their growth rate is nowhere near as fast as before. So, it seems there's some truth to the notion that salt renders soil inhospitable to plant life. Obviously, you wouldn't want to use this method in a garden where you're aiming to kill weeds but preserve other plants and flowers, as the salt would obliterate everything. But for a patio or driveway, it could be just the solution you're after. My colleague, Angela, also found success with the same method. After using salt to tackle weeds, she reported: "Nine hours later, the weeds were completely dead, so I was easily able to dig them out. I didn't use a fancy tool for this; a regular screwdriver sufficed. Curious as to whether the weeds would reappear, I checked back in on the area over the next two weeks, and no weeds seemed to have grown back."
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
‘Do not pack' warning over popular kids' swimwear colour this summer – and there's more than one you need to avoid
PARENTS are being warned about a hidden danger lurking in plain sight – the colour of their children's swimwear. So if you're lucky enough to be heading on holiday this summer, then you'll need to listen up and take notes. 1 Kids Swimwear Colour As the summer holidays get underway, UK families are getting ready for a much-needed getaway to sunny beaches and waterparks. However, parents planning to take their youngsters for a swim should pay attention to the colour of their child's swimming costume as it could be a lifesaver. The consumer watchdog Which? has issued a warning via Instagram, revealing that the shade of a swimsuit can make all the difference in a life or death situation, reports the Express. Alive Solutions conducted tests on various colours and patterns in both open waters and swimming pools to assess visibility and Which? alerted its followers with a stern message. Which? stated: "The colour of your kid's swimsuit could save their life. "If you're buying a swimming costume for your child, you should choose a bright neon block colour." They explained that vibrant neon colours remain highly visible underwater. But pale blues and whites can become almost invisible, making it difficult to spot a child in distress so do not pack them. Visibility Tests The video shows a series of tests evaluating swimwear visibility from different angles. This includes surface level, shore perspective, and from above a shallow depth of two feet. Three new family-friendly summer events that kids will love from Disney hunt to walking tour However, many costumes were found to be "barely visible". The best choices for maximum visibility were neon yellow, green, and orange, while other colours simply faded away. The organisation noted: "While the darker colours could be seen, they could easily be mistaken for shadow or dirt." Alive Solutions' research indicated that solid colours are more visible than patterns, with neon shades being the most detectable. Tips to Keep Children Safe in Water IF you are going on holiday this year and want to keep your kids safe when in water, here are some important things to note. Constant Supervision: Always keep a close watch on children when they are in or near water. Avoid distractions like phones or books. Learn CPR: Take a CPR course to be prepared for emergencies. Ensure that any caregivers or babysitters also know CPR. Swim Lessons: Enroll children in age-appropriate swim lessons. Encourage them to practice regularly to build confidence and skills. Use Life Jackets: Ensure children wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets when boating or near open bodies of water. Do not rely solely on inflatable toys or floaties for safety. Establish Water Rules: Set and enforce rules such as no running near the pool, no diving in shallow water, and swimming only with adult supervision. Secure Pools: Install barriers around pools, such as fences with self-latching gates. Use pool covers and alarms to provide additional layers of security. Educate About Water Hazards: Teach children about the dangers of drains and suction outlets in pools and hot tubs. Explain the risks of natural water bodies like currents, tides, and underwater obstacles. Stay Hydrated and Sun-Protected: Ensure children drink plenty of water and take breaks to avoid dehydration. Apply waterproof sunscreen to protect their skin from harmful UV rays. Buddy System: Encourage the buddy system where children swim in pairs or groups, ensuring they look out for each other. Check Water Depth and Conditions: Verify the depth of the water and check for any hazards before allowing children to enter. Be aware of weather conditions and avoid swimming during storms or strong currents. By following these tips, you can significantly enhance the safety of children in and around water, ensuring they have a fun and secure experience. The study also found that small patterns don't significantly affect visibility regardless of their colour. Conversely, large dark patterns were shown to greatly diminish how noticeable swimwear is. For example, a plain neon orange swimsuit is more visible against a dark pool bottom compared to one with large navy stripes. Other Fab Parenting News Taking your family away on holiday can be expensive - but one savvy single mum shared how she did it for just £22 per person. Charlene Woracker, who has four children, revealed how she found a dream caravan holiday in St Ives for the bargain price. A Celebrity Big Brother star and internet personality has revealed the birth of her third child. YouTube and podcast star Trisha Paytas, 36, has finally given birth to her third child, a son. But people cry her child's name is "Horrendous – what is wrong with you?" And a mum has hit back after being torn apart for the gifts she got her kid's teacher. Heidi Powell, an influencer and mum-of-four shared an image of the goodies to social media.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Holiday-goers warned not to pack white or blue swimwear this summer
Parents have been issued with a warning about the colour of their child's swimming costume as it could be the difference between life and death in a pool or at the beach. As the summer holidays get underway, families across the UK are preparing for a much-needed getaway to sunny beaches and poolside retreats both domestically and overseas. However, parents planning to take their youngsters for a swim should pay attention to a vital safety tip: the colour of your child's swimming costume could be a lifesaver. The consumer watchdog Which? has issued a warning via Instagram, revealing that the shade of a swimsuit can make all the difference in a life or death situation, reports the Express. Alive Solutions conducted tests on various colours and patterns in both open waters and swimming pools to assess visibility, prompting Which? to alert its followers with a stark message. "The colour of your kid's swimsuit could save their life," Which? stated. "If you're buying a swimming costume for your child, you should choose a bright neon block colour." They clarified that vibrant neon colours remain highly visible underwater, contrasting sharply with pale blues and whites which can become almost invisible, making it difficult to spot a child in distress. In a series of tests evaluating swimwear visibility from different angles including surface level, shore perspective, and from above a shallow depth of two feet, many costumes were found to be "barely visible". The standout choices for maximum visibility were neon yellow, green, and orange, while other hues simply faded away. The organisation noted: "While the darker colours could be seen, they could easily be mistaken for shadow or dirt." Alive Solutions' research indicated that solid colours are more visible than patterns, with neon shades being the most detectable. The study also found that small patterns don't significantly affect visibility regardless of their colour. Conversely, large dark patterns were shown to greatly diminish how noticeable swimwear is. For example, a plain neon orange swimsuit is more visible against a dark pool bottom compared to one with large navy stripes. Therefore, when purchasing children's swimwear, it's advisable to choose neon colours to enhance safety.
