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Water the lawn thoroughly, apply fertilizer, and overseed if necessary to promote healthy growth.

The fastest ways to kill weeds and unwanted grass include burning them, pouring boiling water on them, or pulling them out by hand, as these methods work almost instantaneously. For a quick-acting solution that works within a few hours, you can use a commercial-grade herbicide like glyphosate or a DIY vinegar, salt, and dish soap mixture. While effective, be aware that commercial herbicides introduce chemicals into your lawn. The slowest method for killing weeds is to starve them of sunlight and nutrients using mulch or fabric covers.

Mowing a lawn will, unfortunately, not get rid of clover, and it may even encourage it to flourish. Let your lawn grow to a healthy height of over 3 inches and then set your mower blades no lower than this level. Higher grass will cut out the light that clover loves and discourage it from spreading.

Landscaping fabric can only help to prevent weed growth in the short term. It's not an ideal long-term solution because dirt will eventually make its way on top of it, causing weeds to sprout. These fabrics can also leave microplastics in the environment for many, many years, so pulling weeds using one of the methods in this guide as soon as you see them is a better long-term prevention strategy.