Poison Ivy advice?

Factual Questions
1

I have managed to live nearly fourty years without contracting poison ivy. I’ve fished. Crawled the wood back in day.

I thought I caught it off the couch when my mom (who swears up and down that she’s caught it from my dad more than once) spent the night recently. Then I was sitting out on my patio a bit ago and realized…Um “little three lobed leaves…holy shit”

I know I can’t burn it. I’m scared of trying to dig it up. It’s in everything.

In my wandering jew. In my rose bushes. In just dirt in corners.

Any advice from anyone? I’m thinking long sleeved shirt and pants, safety glasses and something over my head.

(I’ve been sitting with baking soda on the rash for a few days. It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t even itch that much. It’s just unpleasant.)

thanks in advance :slight_smile:

2

I’m not sure of the best way to get rid of the poison ivy plants. There are chemical treatments said to kill it without killing other plants.

I work in alot of places with poison ivy the best product I’ve found for treating and avoiding it is Tecnu. If I work in an area that has poison ivy I wash with it afterwards. I’ve avoided getting any rashes for a few years now.

I just googled it and found it on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007IOVZK/104-6853202-1931143?v=glance&n=3760901

I’m not sure where my father gets Tecnu so I just steal a bottle from him on occasion. So far this approuch has kept me in supply. Maybe someday rather then telling him I’m taking a bottle I’ll ask where he gets it.

3

Are you sure you are allergic to poison ivy? There is poison oak, poison sumac and others that can do roughly the same thing as well. I am not allergic to it at all so far and that is good because about an acre of our land has it solid and most of the many stone walls do as well. My wife and daughter are allergic to it so that is a big no no. I started trying to get rid of much of it earlier this year. I mow it, weed-eat it, and pull vines out with my hands. Some of them go an amazingly long way underground and attached to other trees etc. I will never get rid of it all and neither will you but weed-eaters and mowers are good tools to use on it. Maybe you can find someone that isn’t allergic to pull the vines out. It would be wise to wear rubber gloves but I have never bothered so far.

4

If you never got a rash you may be immune to it. Then again everyone gets one free exposure to it (once). Also not all 3 leaf plants are P.I.

Just to be safe they have P.I. blocking products which you can apply before you attack it and scrubs you can use after.

As for the attack, I personally used a 50/50 bleach/water in a spray bottle, but the nearby plants (that I didn’t care about) also died.

5

Straight vinegar will kill plants - a friend recommended it to me and it has killed what few small things I’ve tried it on. It is not selective, however. Definitely you want to wear rubber gloves - preferably under a pair of work gloves you will then throw away. Long sleeves and long pants. If they have yard waste pickup separate from household garbage pickup, bag it and put it in your household garbage. Sometimes yard waste is composted and no one wants that in their compost.

Good luck.

6

Many people who thought they were immune have discovered that eventually (after repeated exposure) the body will react.

7

my favorite treatment : if I think I’ve come in contact with poison ivy, I take a shower using dish washing liquid from the kitchen istead of regular soap.
The theory is that poison ivy rash is caused by an oil in the plants leaves, and dish liquid cuts through vegetable oils.

Anyway, if works for me. (but only if I see the damned p. ivy first! Then I have about 8 hours before I start itching, but a good dose of dishwashing liquid saves me from a lot of grief.)

8

[QUOTE=BrassyPhrase]
I thought I caught it off the couch when my mom (who swears up and down that she’s caught it from my dad more than once) spent the night recently. . . .

I know I can’t burn it. I’m scared of trying to dig it up. It’s in everything.

. . .I’m thinking long sleeved shirt and pants, safety glasses and something over my head.

(I’ve been sitting with baking soda on the rash for a few days. It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t even itch that much. It’s just unpleasant.)
[/QUOTE]

First, the only way to “catch” it is to be exposed to the urushiol from the oil on you, which indeed can be spread from anther person if they have just been exposed and have not washed.

Yeah, don’t burn it or you’ll generate smoke that can cause lung damage to people sensitive to it.

Covering head to toe is a good idea. Then when you’re done immediately put your clothes directly into the washer and wash in hot water, and take a shower.

Round Up doesn’t do a very good job on poison ivy, or other woody plants; Ortho Brush-B-Gone is pretty good. But if it’s intertwined with ornamentals you may have to cut it down to the ground first then spray it when it shows leaves again.

I had a very bad case when I did some clean-up in short sleeves and didn’t see the poison ivy. The first few days weren’t bad, annoying at worst. But then it continued to get worse for a couple of weeks. Much worse. I ended up getting a prescription for prednisone, although I didn’t enjoy that too much either.

At the same time my wife got a couple of small spots of it so she must have gotten some oil on her from me but we haven’t figured out exactly how, since I washed clothes and self right after the work.

I used Sarna lotion, which helps immensely but the effect doesn’t last more than a couple of hours.

9

I wouldn’t be nearly so paranoid. If you’re exposed, symptoms will start within about an hour after contact. At that time or earlier, you can just wash with soap and water. Any sort of soap should work; soap is by definition designed to wash away oils. You’ll want to make sure to wash all exposed skin, and throw the clothes you wore in the laundry right away, but it’s not like a single touch of the stuff is guaranteed misery.

Or you could just borrow JillGat’s donkey. I always did think she had a nice ass…

10

[QUOTE=Chronos]
If you’re exposed, symptoms will start within about an hour after contact. . . . .it’s not like a single touch of the stuff is guaranteed misery.
[/QUOTE]
It depends on individual sensitivity. In my case, for example, symptoms didn’t appear until about a day later. Some people are so sensitive that a single touch *can *trigger a severe reaction.

11

[Quote=Chronos]
It depends on individual sensitivity. In my case, for example, symptoms didn’t appear until about a day later. Some people are so sensitive that a single touch can trigger a severe reaction.
[/Quote]
Yup. You can even mix the poison ivy sap into paint to cause a reaction on anyone who touches an object so painted.

12

[QUOTE=Malienation]

[/QUOTE]
You guys across the Potomac need to work on your quoting skills :wink: