10 Genius Ways to Use Vinegar in the Garden

Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil

Vinegar has a lot of household uses beyond food and eating. It helps clean and sanitize surfaces. And, you can also use it to get rid of stains or smells. But did you know that there are many ways to use vinegar in the garden or lawn as well?

Here are some amazing ways you can use this cheap kitchen staple to improve your garden and keep it looking lovely and healthy.

How to Use Vinegar in Your Lawn and Garden – 10 Clever Ways

1. Herbicide

Vinegar is a natural weed killer. It’s much safer to use than commercial chemicals because it doesn’t harm humans. By combining vinegar with salt and some dish soap, you’ll be able to get rid of unwanted weeds that are taking over your garden.

Do note that it’s important to spray carefully because some plants don’t like vinegar. With these plants, it can harm them and take them out along with the weeds.

2. Clean Fruits and Vegetables

One of the biggest benefits of growing your own garden is being able to plant fruits and vegetables in it. These edibles will let you enjoy fresh, healthy food without going to the supermarket to get some.

After picking herbs, veggies or fruits from your garden, it’s important to clean them properly. This gets rid of the soil and other things that may have stuck to them.

Adding a tablespoon of white vinegar in a glass of water takes this a step farther. Instead of just rinsing with water, it also kills the bacteria on the surface of these foods.

3. Prevent Dogs and Cats from Damaging Your Lawn or Garden

We love our dogs and cats. That’s the reason why they’re the two most common household pets around. But when it comes to your garden, these cute, furry animals can wreak havoc.

Because they like peeing and pooping on the lawn, you need to clean up after them. Not only is it hygienic to do so, but also important for your garden’s health.

Animal waste contains nitrogen. And while plants need nitrogen to grow, too much can be toxic causing them to die. That’s why pet urine can cause brown spots in your lawn.

Vinegar is a cheap and easy way to keep unwanted animals off your lawn or garden. Whether it’s your own pets, the neighbor’s or strays, pouring vinegar around the perimeter will keep them away.

4. Boost Soil Acidity

Vinegar can help or harm plants. It really depends on which plants you use it on. For many plants, vinegar is toxic. It can kill them. So, it’s important to keep it away from them.

For other plants, vinegar helps. These is especially true for plants that enjoy high acidity. For plants like gardenias and hydrangeas adding a water and vinegar solution to the soil helps boost their growth. This will help them grow faster than they normally would.

5. Keep Ants and Other Insects Away

Ants are a nuisance. Whether they’re in your home or garden, they can really be a problem especially when they start infesting certain areas.

Red ants are more dangerous because their bite. The larger the ant, the more serious the damage their can cause.

While this isn’t much of a problem for adults, except for some irritation, it could be troublesome for kids and pets.

To get rid of ants, you can mix vinegar with water into a spray bottle. Spraying them directly on the ants kills them. And, you can spray the solution in areas as well to prevent ants from coming near your home or garden.

6. Eliminate Weeds from Your Driveway and Walking Paths

Above, we touched on how vinegar helps kill weeds. This goes a long way if you want a natural weed killer that doesn’t use harmful or toxic chemicals.

While it’s effective in your garden, the vinegar solution isn’t limited to your lawn. You can also use it to get rid of weeds in your driveway, sidewalk or other paths. Weeds usually come through the cracks in the concrete or in their perimeter.

Spraying some pure vinegar on these areas is a quick and simple way to get rid of these weeds.

7. Prolong the Life of Fresh Flowers

Fresh flowers are beautiful. But they don’t last much more than a couple of days or so. The moment their stems are cut, they also lose their source of nutrients.

While it’s impossible to prevent lovely fresh flowers from wilting, you can use vinegar to prolong their freshness. Simply, add two tablespoons of vinegar and another two tablespoons of sugar to the the water in your vase or bottle.

This solution will help flowers survive longer.

8. Remove Rust from Tools

For small hand tools that have rusted, vinegar is an easy way to restore them back to their natural look. It’s very effective in removing the rust and bringing the steel back to luster.

But, one word of warning is that it can take a very long time to get all the rust out.

For small tools like nails or trowels, leaving them in a tray of vinegar overnight may be enough to get rid of the rust. But for bigger tools, it can take a few days.

You can speed things up by scrubbing the rust as the vinegar loosens it. This lets you remove more rust faster compared to just soaking the tools in them.

9. Get Rid of Snails and Slugs

In addition to pets and other unwanted animals, vinegar also keeps insects and pests away from your lawn. Snails and slugs can be very bothersome to your garden.

And, to get rid of them, you can make a vinegar mixture along with water to keep these pests away from your plants once and for all.

10. Sanitize Patio and Lawn Furniture

Because they’re left outside all the time, patio and lawn furniture can get dirty fairly quickly. Sometimes, just using a damp cloth is enough. But, if you need something tougher that won’t damage the paint or look of your outdoor furniture, you can use vinegar.