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National
Angela Patrone & Sonia Sharma

Gardeners hail common household item for getting rid of weeds from patios and pavements

Keen gardeners have shared a way of removing weeds from patios and pavements - using a common household item.

On the Gardening UK Facebook page, a woman posted a picture of her patio covered in weeds and asked: "What could I do to remove those weeds from my patio? I have used several products but none can clear it completely and they grow more every time. Thank you so much."

Several group members suggested using washing powder. One person wrote: "Once a year I cover my patio with washing powder, pour boiling water over it and leave it. They disintegrate and I just sweep them away after two to three weeks.

Read More: Six signs you've got rats in your home and how to remove the rodents, according to experts

"It soaks through the green right down to the roots. If the roots aren’t killed you’ll get them coming straight back. The washing powder also helps to clean the patio as well."

Another commented: "I literally pour boiling water and washing powder on them. Wait for them to start dying and brown off, then use a brush and turn them to dust.”

A third added: "I read a couple of years ago to use cheap washing powder from Aldi/Lidl, so I tried that and they don’t come back. So, get rid of what is there, then sprinkle the washing powder into the gaps of the paving and put water on it and just leave it, worked for us."

Another woman said she tried this method and it worked for her. She wrote: "Someone asked about this last week. They said to sprinkle washing powder over the weeds and pour boiling water on them. I did it and it actually has worked for me. You could give that a try."

According to paving experts at Harpenden Block Paving, even just pouring boiling water over the weeds will remove them and prevent them from spreading, reports The Express. They claimed: “A good way to kill weeds and prevent germination is to boil your kettle and pour the water between your patio slabs. Repeat until you have doused all pesky weeds.”

Once the weeds have been removed, polymeric jointing sand is worth sealing the gaps in patio slabs. The experts said: “All you need to do is sweep the powdered sealant between the gaps in your patio and lightly spray with water to let the sealant bond.”

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