Weeds are a nuisance for most homeowners, but if you have children or pets you don’t want to spray harmful chemicals around your home. An effective, eco-friendly answer to removing weeds is vinegar. Use vinegar on the gravel paths, brick walk-ways, and sidewalks. Vinegar will kill your grass and plants and may change the PH of you soil, so use with caution.
You can also smother weeds with newspaper instead of pulling out the weeds by hand. Lay the newspaper around your plant, wet with water then add mulch on top. Weeds will not grow and the newspaper will decompose providing abundant food for beneficial soil organisms.