Vinegar can be used just as effectively as 2-4D, Weed-be-gone, or other pesticides available at the local garden center. It works by temporarily lowering the PH (potential of hydrogen) of the soil making it hard for plants to take up water and nutrients through their roots. Vinegar will only hang around in the ground for two or three days, or until it's washed away by the rain. Vinegar is also non toxic, so you don't have to worry about children playing in an area that was just treated, or pets ingesting it and becoming sick. White vinegar found at your local grocery store is effective and it doesn't cost very much. The vinegar from the grocery store is also safer to use than it's agricultural cousin.
The only draw back to using vinegar is that it kills indiscriminately. Unlike other herbicides that target a specific species, vinegar will lower the PH affecting the entire area it is applied to. Only use vinegar away from plants that you want to keep. A good place for vinegar to be applied is to the weeds in the cracks in your driveway, paths or sidewalks. Using house hold vinegar may require multiple applications, especially on species with deep tap roots like dandelions or bull thistle
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