My neighbor's tip about killing weeds with vinegar backfired big time

I doused my entire front walkway with white vinegar like he said, but I did it on a sunny July afternoon and it cooked the grass right into the concrete. Has anyone else had a cheap DIY fix turn into a bigger mess than the original problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice26917d agoMost Upvoted

Question whether a little grass stain on concrete is really worth calling a "backfired fix." Sounds more like a learning experience than a full-blown disaster, and concrete isn't exactly delicate china you just ruined for good. Honestly, a stiff brush and some elbow grease would probably scrub most of that right off, so maybe take a breath.

emery19923d ago

Rookie move doing it in full sun, that's a guaranteed concrete etching. Vinegar needs an overcast day or you're just cooking everything to the surface.

vera_palmer23d ago

Don't you find that applies to so many things in life, not just vinegar on concrete? @emery199 has a good point about the chemistry of it all, but the real lesson is how often we rush into something when the conditions aren't right, expecting the same outcome as if we'd waited. I see it all the time with folks trying to fix their own cars in the middle of a hot afternoon, then wondering why the paint or sealant doesn't hold. Patience and timing matter more than we give them credit for, and a little planning ahead saves a whole lot of headache later.