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Poison Ivy

Whitworth

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Dec 26, 2011
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A long session with poison ivy, - removal with long sleeved shirt, jeans and gloves. Will one hot wash cycle remove all traces of the oil on the clothes?

For the roots I was planning a heavy application of Round Up to the soil, good?

I also have a hedge that's intertwined with poison ivy, but it's so fragile I cannot pull it all out in one fell-swoop. If I kill it at the root and it dies in place, how long before it's safe to touch? ( Just thinkin of the kids here...;)) Otherwise, I may have to chain saw that part of the hedge. And if I use Round-Up I may end up killing that hedge anyways.

I figure I'll have to toss the gloves and sneakers, unless there's an easy way to decontaminate.

Thanks,

Gary
 
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trackwelder

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I use Tecnu skin cleanser to cut the oil as soon as possible. The contaminated clothes get washed with tide and hot water.
 

pcmeiners

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Agree Tide and hot water (plenty of tide). I would let it soak for 1-1/2 hours before washing. To be on the safe side, I would repeat this . I would not toss the glove/sneakers, but I would wash them separate from the cloths.
Years back had to weed a large area of poison ivy, no issue after washing the cloths twice. Remember the sweat band if it is hot outside.
One time was pulling up poison ivy, without gloves, in shorts,I just did not realize it. Got some white gas, almost took a bath in it, ended up with one small spot of the rash on one hand, was damn lucky as I had pulled up many plants.
Decent way to kill it, paint "Brush be Gone", full strength, on the lower main stems with a paint brush (about 1 ft of stem), takes over a week but it kills it.
Also sprayed it but, I also KILLED a couple trees. One of the trees, the half on my property died, the other half survived.

Good luck
 
Last edited:

Backpack Hunter

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NC
Immediate wash of the clothes, I don't use hot water. For myself I use tecnu, then jewelweed soap. Definitely take a cold shower.
 

dkroth

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Rochester, New York
When I cleared the poison ivy in my back yard I used a Tyvec jumpsuit, booties and rubber gloves all taped off with duct tape. It all went in a plastic garbage bag when done.

One pass through the laundry with a full measure of detergent should do it. A second pass doesn't cost much for insurance.

The rule of thumb I've read on the internet is dead vines and roots are safe after a year. I don't trust that. The only good poison ivy is no where near me!

Roundup is absorbed through the leaves. Applying to the ground will do nothing. Put it on the foliage at least 24 hours before pulling the vine, if that's what you're doing.

Chain saw is probably a bad idea as it will spread wet chips all over the place. And it will contaminate your saw.
 

dkroth

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Couple other things I just thought of: don't burn it. The oil goes up in smoke where it will attack your skin, nose, mouth, throat, lungs, etc.

After removal, watch for sprouts in and around the are where you pulled the vine. The roots are tenacious.

One vine I killed in my back yard had 21 growth rings and was as big as my calf. Sheesh.
 

T45

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Tecnu in the wash, and/or maybe just throw the clothes away

FYI- it is not 100pc guaranteed you will get all that oil out in wash regardless

the tyvek jumpsuit is the right approach for next time !!

Absolutely do not burn anything contaminated with the oils (like plants or clothes)

good advike from Dkroth
 

mtnkid85

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Jan 28, 2015
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It depends how allergic you are to it. Not all people get a reaction.

I unfortunately am extremely allergic to the stuff. I would do the full tyvec suit deal and toss everything immediately afterwards. Or better yet go down to your local labor ready office and get two laborers and put them in the tyvec suits!

I passionately dislike poison ivy.
 

7th Kahuna

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Roundup is absorbed through the leaves. Applying to the ground will do nothing. Put it on the foliage at least 24 hours before pulling the vine, if that's what you're doing.

^ This.

Also you want to apply it on a warm but not hot day, so the leave's pores are open. Further, if the plant is drought stressed it may not work well.

You will want to use Round-Up Pro or another product with a surfactant mixed in or add a (non-ionic?) surfactant yourself. Basically the surfactant makes the roundup stick better to the leaf. Any 'just add water' or 'ready to use' herbicide that is approved for glossy leaved plants such as ivy will have the surfactant included. Adding it yourself is cheap and easy.

This sounds like a big project so if you can spray it a couple days in advance, that would be ideal, otherwise, I would suggest cutting everything back and waiting for the new growth to sprout then spray the new growth. However as you will have a sizable root structure, it may require a couple applications.

Another option is to paint the trunks as you are cutting the material down, but the chemicals you would need to be successful are not generally available to homeowners.
 

BK13

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PDX, OR
Tecnu in the wash, and/or maybe just throw the clothes away

FYI- it is not 100pc guaranteed you will get all that oil out in wash regardless

the tyvek jumpsuit is the right approach for next time !!

Absolutely do not burn anything contaminated with the oils (like plants or clothes)

good advike from Dkroth

Agreed. I get in the habit of washing with Tecnu even if I don't suspect contact.
 
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7th Kahuna

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As you are cleaning, don't forget your tools. I've had guys pick up poison oak off equipment that has been brought back and sitting in the yard. I'm guessing poison ivy would be much the same. And as T45 said, do not burn the material or anything contaminated with the oil.
 

jumbojak

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Surry, VA
A long session with poison ivy, - removal with long sleeved shirt, jeans and gloves. Will one hot wash cycle remove all traces of the oil on the clothes?

For the roots I was planning a heavy application of Round Up to the soil, good?

I also have a hedge that's intertwined with poison ivy, but it's so fragile I cannot pull it all out in one fell-swoop. If I kill it at the root and it dies in place, how long before it's safe to touch? ( Just thinkin of the kids here...;)) Otherwise, I may have to chain saw that part of the hedge. And if I use Round-Up I may end up killing that hedge anyways.

I figure I'll have to toss the gloves and sneakers, unless there's an easy way to decontaminate.

Thanks,

Gary

Try painting the roundup on the poison ivy leaves with a small brush if you're worried about killing the bush. It'll take a bit of time but you can be reasonably confident in avoiding collateral damage. Depending on how far gone the bush is it mifght spring to life once the ivy is dead. My maple that was being strangled by Virginia creeper was as healthy as a horse after I cut the vines growing at the base of the tree. I didn't pull the vines down, just killed them.
 

retDAC

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near Huntsville, Ala.
My experience has been wash clothes normally but not necessarily immediately. Leave shoes and gloves alone as after a few? hours the urushiol oxidizes or whatever and becomes inert. Thickness of clothes and shoes doesn't seem to matter, but I used leather gloves or at least leather faced gloves. Remember button cuffs have separations to bare skin. Guess how I found that out. So now I wear raglan cuffed sleeves. Now have some welding gloves from my son where the insulation messed up but the leather is still good. Wash hands and wrists with soap and water when finished.

My experience has been with poison ivy/oak here and in South Carolina. This article states the exact chemistry may vary:
"... Urushiol is a mixture of several closely related organic compounds. Each consists of a catechol substituted with an alkyl chain that has 15 or 17 carbon atoms. The alkyl group may be saturated or unsaturated. The exact composition of the mixture varies, depending on the plant source. Whereas western poison oak urushiol contains chiefly catechols with C<sub>17</sub> side-chains,<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference">[9]</sup> poison ivy and poison sumac contain mostly catechols with C<sub>15</sub> side-chains. The likelihood and severity of allergic reaction to urushiol is dependent on the degree of unsaturation of the alkyl chain. Less than half of the general population experience a reaction with the saturated urushiol alone, but over 90% do so with urushiol that contains at least two degrees of unsaturation (double bonds). Longer side chains tend to produce a stronger reaction.<sup id="cite_ref-Tomas_10-0" class="reference">[10]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol

</sup>As to skin, if one merely brushes against it, water or even saliva within a minute or so seems to eliminate any possible contamination. Grabbing it barehanded or pressing/rubbing hard against it greatly increases chance of absorption. Washing with soap and water within ten minutes should prevent that. Alcohol works too.

While truly dry (dead) poison ivy probably won't hurt you, I don't blindly trust that because sometimes there may be some 'hidden' oil. One time in February many years ago I was pulling some thick vines that appeared dead. Had on jacket, long sleeve shirt, and gloves but later had a rash on one wrist. The jacket and shirt sleeves had button cuffs and some skin was inadvertently contaminated. The outside of the vines appeared dead/dry for the winter so I guess it was a broken end that got me.

If you ever get a major reaction, go to a doctor as it will get worse without medical help. Otc stuff works for minor rashes. If you catch a minor one as it just starts, sucking it hard either with your mouth or a snakebite kit may stop it. Yes that sounds crazy but as someone who has had major and minor rashes, I will do almost anything to avoid such. Btw that works for minor insect bites and stings.

As stated elsewhere, DO NOT BURN poison ivy/oak/sumac. The urushiol gets carried every where by the smoke and you can easily be contaminated without realizing it. Heard a real 'horror story' about that from someone who experienced it.
 

KEH

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Jan 31, 2010
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5,142
My experience has been that just Roundup sprayed on poison ivy will kill it. Waste of time to spray the ground as has been mentioned.

If a surfactant is wanted, use a small amount of dishwashing soap, usually Dawn is recommended.

KEH
 

J king

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Jun 1, 2013
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Ne oh
Not about getting rid of plant but of interest to some..years ago I would get poison ivy rashes Everytime I had contact with the plants. I had it all over one time. I went to the doctor and was asked where I had it. I told them it was easier to say where I didn't have it.
Years later I was told to eat cashews and you won't get it.. I started eating them before going out and cut firewood a couple weeks before. He said a handful a day and the oil in the nut somehow keeps you from getting it. I have rarely got affected since then so I really be leave it works..your mileage may very..
 

BonzoHansen

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NJ
we used to wash with octagon soap if we thought we had poison ivy oil on our skin.
 

WVBrady

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WV
...Years later I was told to eat cashews and you won't get it.. I started eating them before going out and cut firewood a couple weeks before. He said a handful a day and the oil in the nut somehow keeps you from getting it. I have rarely got affected since then so I really be leave it works..your mileage may very..

I have never heard that, but I did know that raw cashews were poisonous.

"It is the case that the double shell surrounding the raw cashew, which is technically a seed and not a nut, contains urushiol, a resin that can create significant skin rashes, and can be toxic when ingested."

http://www.wisegeek.org/are-raw-cashews-really-poisonous.htm

Maybe there is just enough of the urushiol in the processed ones to somewhat inoculate you. Sometimes repeated contact will make you less sensitive to something and other times it will make you more sensitive to it.
 

Jawn

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Stuck in traffic, GA
If I suspect I've been contaminated, clothes in the wash and an immediate shower with plenty of dial soap... usually works pretty well.

I've been hospitalized for it once, so I take it seriously.
 

strength_and_power

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Apr 26, 2015
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1,416
Hit up the local goodwill for a set of clothes. Into a bag and into the dumpster. Cost a few bucks but it is for a good cause. I like the Tyvek suit idea. Breaking Bad revisited
 

7th Kahuna

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Los Angeles, CA
visit a farm store and get a better ivy killer...roundup is for weeds, yard stuff...

Depends on the concentration. At low concentrations yes, at higher concentrations it will kill trees. Most stores carry more than one concentration. However you use it, keep it away from streams and ponds, it is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Though widely believed safe, I'd say keep it away from yourself too and don't use more than you have to. People I trust have suggested it may not be as safe as advertised. It clearly does not break down in the environment as fast as once thought. Better safe than sorry.
 
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