Using Hot Pasta Water to Kill Weeds
Imagine, if you will, a quiet suburban street. An eco-dork housewife is busily preparing a homecooked meal of spaghetti with red sauce. As she drains the pasta, she laments the fact that she is pouring perfectly good hot water down the sink.
In another dimension, in a house just like the first, another 'green' woman is wondering what sort of eco-friendly solution she could find that would eliminate those pesky driveway weeds that keep popping up between the cracks.
Coincidence? Perhaps. Or perhaps there's more to this story.
Perhaps both these ladies have access to a fifth dimension called - the interwebbies. Where they both discover that...
BOILING WATER KILLS WEEDS!
So when you see me out in my driveway pouring my dinner on dandelions, you'll know what I'm doing. Now if you wouldn't mind explaining it to the neighbors so they don't think they're in a bad episode of the Twilight Zone, I'd appreciate it.
Savings:
Give or take 1 gallon of hot water per week.
Difficulty Level: 3 out of 5
Most of my changes can't really be seen by others, so this does take me a little out of my comfort zone. But since they're going to be seeing me growing a veggie garden in the flower beds and herbs in the window boxes this summer, they might as well start getting used to my Serling-esque ways.
13 comments:
Isn't it a wonderful discovery! I never thought of using pasta water. I've been boiling water just for the purpose... but pasta water makes such good sense. Thanks!
So, you can just use boiling water to kill weeds and to think I have been using the back breaking method of pulling them by hand. Wow, no more chiropractor for me.
I'm not sure which I like most about you, Erin. Your hints or your humor. XOXO
Mr. G.... Um... so my sexy good looks were never even considered? What is it? The four-day-old jeans? The child's snot trail on my shoulder? The "To Hell With Personal Hygiene" days? The ineffective henna job? ;-)
XOXO back atcha'
The hot water thing works on fire ants, too.
I do draw the line at "live and let live" with the fire ants.
I had to lay my head on the desk from laughing so hard. You had me at, "Imagine if you will..."
LOL, this tip is a keeper. You slay my weeds...
Are you figuring your savings based only on what you would have bought otherwise? Because you could also figure in the cost/enviro impact of store-bought weedkiller if you would have used it.
Love this tip! My neighbors already think I'm crazy so it won't even faze them to see me out there with a huge pot of boiling water. They'll probably think I'm disinfecting the driveway.
Hey Burb
That boiling water is also the plumber's choice for keeping bathtub drains free flowing as well as loosening lime scale.
No weeds here for a month or two.
Very funny piece!
do you run out and throw your spaghetti water out right then and there while it is still hot so that you don't waste heat to reheat it?
because that is a funny picture in my head....
Arduous... You bet your sweet ass I do! I wouldn't be Super EcoDork if I didn't! :-)
Any hot water will do. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts out there with my various pots and pans. So, the next time you're hard-boiling eggs, steaming veggies, or really heating anything you can extract... boil them weeds!
Wait a minute here! Am I the only one who wonders why you are pouring your dinner on dandelions instead of harvesting the dandelions for dinner?! They are tasty little buggers. I get them as part of my CSA share occasionally, along with other edible weeds like purslane and amaranth greens.
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