If you have a garden, keeping the lawn weed-free can be a real hassle. However, you must be careful what you decide to put in your garden, especially if you are a pet owner.
Unfortunately, many weed killers are made with chemicals that could be problematic or even toxic to your pet. Some weed killers could just give your animal an allergic reaction, but they could also be worse. Do you really want to take that risk?
There are lots of pet-friendly weed killers out there. This article will tell you the best pet-safe weed killers that are on the market right now. From this list, you will be able to find the right weed killer for your garden, while also protecting your beloved animals.
Best Pet Safe Weed Killers Reviewed
- Pros
- Kills weeds in 24 hours - Customers have reported that this weed killer kills most weeds in 24 hours.
- Easy to use - This weed killer is pre-mixed and comes with a nozzle. All you need to do is attach the nozzle and start spraying your weeds.
- Organic - The ingredients used in this weed killer are all organic and eco-friendly.
- Cons
- Strong odor - As this product is made with such a high vinegar concentration, the smell of vinegar is quite strong.
Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed and Grass Killer’s primary ingredient is vinegar, which makes this weed killer very pet friendly. However, this weed killer is made with 20% concentration of vinegar, which is a lot stronger than the vinegar you use during cooking.
This weed killer comes pre-mixed with a spray nozzle included so you can get spraying your weeds straight away. The Green Gobbler Weed Killer promises to kill weeds within 24 hours.
This weed killer has a glyphosate-free formula and is certified for organic use. Safe for all kinds of use, whether that is residential or commercial use.
- Pros
- Fasting Acting - This weed killer starts to work in only a couple of hours once being sprayed onto your weeds.
- Money back guarantee - If you aren't satisfied with this product, you have a 30 day money back guarantee.
- Pleasant Smell - In this weed killer, citrus ingredients are used which help mask the vinegar smell.
- No mixing required - This weed killer doesn't need you to mix it. It is ready to use straight from the bottle. Attach a nozzle and start spraying.
- Cons
- Spray Nozzle - Some customers have complained about having issues with the spray nozzle.
- Warm and Sunny Conditions - This spray works best in warm and sunny conditions, so in other conditions it may not work as well or might take longer to work.
Natural Armor Weed and Grass Killer has a unique formula that uses vinegar, salt, sodium ingredients, glycerin, water, citrus ingredients, and essential oils.
All these ingredients help stop weeds from growing in just a couple of hours. This product works best on warm sunny days. While the citrus ingredients help mask the vinegar smell, that is associated with a lot of these products.
The manufacturers of this weed killer give you a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy with their product. This weed killer is ready to use as soon as you buy the bottle, no mixing is required. This is an all-natural product that is also said to work extremely fast.
- Pros
- Organic - This weed killer is made with organic ingredients that won’t harm your garden but stops weeds from growing.
- Effective - This weed killer works on a wide variety of weeds and even tall weeds.
- Pre-mixed - The ECO Garden Pro Weed Killer comes pre-mixed, ready to use straight away.
- Cons
- No Sprayer - This weed killer doesn’t come with a sprayer so you will need to attach your own or pour the contents into a bottle with a spray nozzle.
- Repeat Applications - While this weed killer works well, some customers have reported that they needed to do repeat applications.
The ECO Garden Pro Organic Vinegar Weed Killer is made from a mixture of vinegar and salt. Once applied, within 24 hours your weeds will be long gone. This weed killer is phosphate-free, so it is safe for your pets.
Compared to other pet-safe weed killers, the ECO Garden Pro doesn’t come with a sprayer. You will need to transfer the contents to a spray bottle.
This weed killer is said to work well on a wide variety of weeds like dandelions, moss, and more. While also being effective against tall weeds too. The formula is already premixed so you don’t need to worry about mixing this weed killer.
- Pros
- Nozzle included - This weed killer is ready to go, it is premixed and comes with a nozzle, which makes application easy and little effort.
- Made by a pet owner - This product was made by a pet owner, so the concerns that you have for your pet are shared with them. They have created a weed killer that they would use, so will be extremely safe for your animals.
- 100% money back guarantee - If you aren't happy with this product you have a 100% money back guarantee.
- Charity - A portion of each sale is donated to animal shelter charities all over the US.
- Cons
- Kills grass and weeds - Be careful where you spray this weed killer because it kills what it touches, whether that is your weeds or your lawn.
Just For Pets Weed Killer Spray is made from a combination of vinegar, citric acid, salt, clove oil and lemon juice. From each sale, a portion of the sale is donated to animals nationwide.
This weed killer was made by a pet owner, so you can trust they have thought about everything to keep your beloved pets safe.
This weed killer comes with a nozzle and can be used straight away, no mixing is required. Just For Pets Weed Killer Spray has a mountain of satisfied customers that say that this weed killer is extremely effective.
It can kill weeds within hours and has a fast-drying formula that can kill over 250 types of weeds. However, if you aren’t satisfied, there is a money-back guarantee that comes with this product.
- Pros
- 4 ingredients - Only four ingredients are used in this weed killer, so you know exactly what you are putting onto your garden.
- Nozzle Included - A sprayer and nozzle are included with this weed killer, which means you don’t need to transfer the contents into a bottle with a sprayer.
- Effective - Doctor Kirchner Natural Weed Killer has received lots of positive reviews, where customers have claimed that this weed killer works in just a couple of hours.
- Cons
- Non-selective - This weed killer is non-selective so beware putting this weed killer on your lawn.
Doctor Kirchner Natural Weed Killer is made from a combination of ocean salt, water, vinegar, and soap.
This is a sea-water-based weed killer, where the manufacturer has said that it is safe for people, pets, chickens, horses, and the environment. It is the salt that kills the weeds, with vinegar and soap helping its effectiveness.
Like some other weed killers on this list, this is a non-selective product.
This means that this weed killer will kill what it touches, so try and keep it away from your lawn. This weed killer is available in a range of sizes, depending on how much you need.
A lot of customers have given this product positive reviews for killing their weeds in a matter of hours. Doctor Kirchner Natural Weed Killer is a reliable and effective weed killer that only uses four ingredients, all that will keep your pets safe.
Best Pet Safe Weed Killers Buying Guide
There are a lot of options when it comes to killing those annoying weeds but also keeping your pets safe. Finding the best weed killer isn’t easy normally as there are so many on the market, but finding one that will keep your pet too can be tricky.
Below are some things to consider when buying pet-friendly weed killers and why normal weed killers aren’t the safest for your favorite four-legged friends.
Key Ingredients To Avoid
When looking at the ingredients on your weed killer, there are some you should try to avoid to keep your pets safe. Many weed killers can cause a mild reaction to humans and animals who have direct contact with them.
Glyphosate
The National Pesticide Information Centre has warned that if animals, such as your pets, touch or eat plants that are covered in this chemical, this can be toxic.
Especially if the chemical is wet, this is more toxic for your pets. If your pet ingests this chemical, they can show signs of this by loss of appetite, drowsiness, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Glyphosate can make your pet ill, if digested while the chemical is still wet on the plant.
It has to be said that this is a controversial chemical. It is the most common chemical that is used in weed killers. It is a very effective chemical that kills everything that it is sprayed onto.
Some researchers have said that glyphosate doesn’t harm humans or animals, while also research has said that it can be quite harmful.
If you want to use a traditional weed killer that uses this chemical, you should use it sparingly as you don’t want to risk your pet’s health and life if they do consume it.
Paraquat
Paraquat is known as an extremely toxic chemical for the most dangerous weed killers. Pet owners should beware of weed killers that contain this chemical.
This chemical can cause scarring in the lungs, which can lead to breathing problems. Overall this chemical should be avoided at all costs for the safety of your pets.
Organophosphates
Like the other two chemicals mentioned above, Organophosphate is highly toxic for your pets. It is said that this chemical can potentially harm your pet’s nervous system.
2,4-D (Timec)
2,4-D is another common herbicide, it is a plant hormone that causes broad-leafed plants to grow in improper ways that then result in them dying. It is often used to control weed growth in your lawns.
This chemical is all about affecting the way the weed/plant grows. It is said to be safe for humans but if it comes into contact with your skin it can cause irritation.
Also if humans breathe in the fumes this can cause coughing, dizziness, and burning sensations.
For pets, especially dogs, they are much more sensitive to the chemical. Dogs and cats who have eaten or drank products that contain 2,4-D have developed vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, and convulsions.
It isn’t said how much 2,4-D your pet must consume for these issues to develop. It is unclear if this can be caused by your pets licking the sprayed areas. Although this chemical can last on the sprayed area for up to 3 days.
Hence as a pet owner, I am sure that this is something you’d just want to avoid at all costs.
Sethoxydim
Sethoxydim targets monocots (grasses). It has been designed to be used on grass weeds that have already sprouted. It can cause the weed to die within 2 weeks. It is considered less toxic than other commonly used herbicides.
However, caution should be applied to this chemical. It may not be as toxic but once consumed it can cause tremors in humans, and in high doses, it can cause anemia in dogs.
Ingredients To Look For
When deciding what will be an effective and safe weed killer to choose from. You should look for weed killers that have acetic acid which will be vinegar. As seen above, vinegar is a great ingredient to kill weeds.
Most pet-friendly weed killers contain vinegar at a high concentration. You can’t just use normal kitchen vinegar as it isn’t strong enough to do anything.
You need a high concentration of about 10 to 30% for anything to really happen.
Another ingredient to look out for is salt, which might be down as sodium chloride. Like vinegar, salt is a non-toxic substance that is a natural weed and grass killer.
You can just apply salt to your garden by mixing the salt with some water and spraying the mixture on the weeds you want to kill. Start with a weak salt solution and try to use the weakest solution if possible.
This will avoid causing any long-term issues for your soil. However using a salt and vinegar solution together has better results, as seen in some weed killers.
Non-selective vs. Selective
Some weed killers are selective in what they kill, while others are not. You need to be aware of which one your pet-friendly weed killer is.
If your weed killer is non-selective that means it does not care what it kills, it will just kill whatever it comes into contact with.
That can include your lawn grass if it gets on there. This is just something to watch out for and be aware of when using selective and non-selective weed killers.
Alternative Ways And Products To Stop Weeds
The weed killers mentioned above are all pet-safe, due to the ingredients used in them.
However, there are other ways to treat your garden that use things that you most likely own in your home. These alternative ways are 100% for you and your pets.
Boiling Water
Boiling Water is a simple yet effective way to kill lots of weeds and also eliminate the need to use a herbicide. All you need to do is fill a big bowl of water up and boil it.
Then pour the heated water onto the weeds you want to get rid of.
However, be careful not to put any water on any plants or grass you want to keep. It may take a couple of treatments of water to completely destroy the weeds, but this is a 100% non-toxic approach.
Allelopathic Plants
Some plant species produce chemicals that kill other plants and prevent them from growing. If you incorporate these plants in your garden this will help cut down the number of weeds you have to deal with.
Also if only a small amount of weeds grow, you could hand pull them saving you using anything on your garden at all.
However, with this strategy, you will need to do your research to see which plants are suitable to kill your weeds and not affect the other plants in your garden.
Burning
Burning is a simple and effective way to kill weeds, but you must be careful while doing it. This is a 100% non-toxic way to get rid of your weed problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
After Spraying, How Long Until It Is Safe For My Dog To Go Outside?
Once the spray has completely dried on the leaf surface, it is now no danger to your dog or any other animal.
Some products can take between 30 minutes to 2 hours to dry up. If it rains then this drying process can take much longer.
How Can I Get Rid Of Dandelions Without Harming My Pet?
It’s difficult to get rid of dandelions as they normally grow in the middle of your lawn. A pet friendly way to get rid of these weeds is to either hand pull them (if there aren’t too many) or using a pre-emergent like corn meal gluten.
A selective herbicide would be best but such herbicides aren’t completely pet friendly.
Conclusion Best Pet Safe Weed Killers
When you have a pet you need to be careful what you put in your garden, because pets can be curious creatures that like to smell and taste everything.
Hence what you put in your garden needs to be pet friendly, otherwise, your pet could get ill. Above we have mentioned our best pet-safe weed killers, which are organic and will keep your pets safe but will treat those pesky weeds.
What makes some traditional weed killers dangerous is the chemicals that are used, so always check the ingredients when buying your weed killer.
Other articles you would like:
- Best Flea Killers For Your Yard
- Best Ultrasonic Dog Repeller For Your Yard
- How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally On Dogs
You can also watch this video if you want to make your own DIY Weed Killer that is safe for pets:
Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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