Poison Ivy

johnjk

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Ran in to some poison ivy this past weekend getting the windfalls cut up. even though I didn't see any vines or plants I found some and it got up in my gloves and under my watch band. Most likely got it from the wood chips coming off the saw.

So, what do you all use to clean up and get the oils off your skin AND if you miss an area, what have you found to be the best treatment for it?
 

nbking

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For the itch, run it under the hottest water you can stand, seems to help for a considerable time. For getting the oils off. A soapy wash rag, and scrub it like you would if you had motor oil on your skin. I've dealt with ivy growing up and oak here.
 
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MX6000

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Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol after exposure is what I have always heard works the best to remove and neutralize the oil.
 
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NCL4701

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For cleanup, as you state, it is an oil so soaps that are good at cutting oil seem to work well: Dawn, Go-Jo, etc. I would stay away from any shop type soaps that have pumice or similar sandy scrubbing components as abrading your skin isn’t advisable when it’s covered in poisonous oil. Along those same lines, use cold water to wash yourself, even if you’re taking a full shower. Hot water opens your pores and aids in allowing the oil to penetrate your skin. Washing with a non-abrasive Go-Jo in cold water works best for me. After you’ve washed the oil off, you can go back to hot water washing and showering.

Wash all clothing and surfaces that may have been exposed. They will retain the oil for quite some time so you can be re-exposed every time you touch them. Worst case I ever had was due to getting it all over the armrest in my truck. Kept getting worse for over a month until I figured it out and shampooed the armrest. If I thought it was inside my gloves I would replace them.

What to do about the flared up areas... Do not scratch. Scratching just further damages your skin and extends healing time. Apply cortisone and/or astringent such as witch hazel to minimize itching and oozing. If you tend to scratch in your sleep or are short on self control, cover it. Wait it out. I haven’t found anything that truly shortens recovery other than thoroughly cleaning myself, cleaning all potentially contaminated items, and not scratching.

If it’s REALLY bad, a doctor can give you a cortisone shot that will dry it up, but it will dry up everything, including your sinuses, nose, mouth, and gut (as in some bad constipation). Personally, I’d rather itch and poop on schedule.

Interested to see if anyone else has a better way of shortening the recovery.
 
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Chuckinnj

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I have used TECNU and it seems to work well on prevention. www.teclabsinc.com
When I work in the woods I will wash up with DAWN on a wash cloth. DAWN a is a must have detergent with many uses and pays to always have a bottle handy.

"IF" you have the rash and are itchy and scratchy, ALCOHOL (NOT the drinking type) works good for drying it up........ IVY DRY www.ivydry.com is another OTC product that works well.
 
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sheepfarmer

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Tecnu works well, can be used on clothes and tools, and also can be used to clean up skunked dogs. I keep a bar of Fels Naphtha soap in the shower to do hands wrists ankles when I don't know if I've gotten in it or not. After a rash has appeared clean skin gently with Tecnu and then cortisone cream.
 
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85Hokie

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Back when I was young - I swear I could get poison ivy off a magazine just looking at a picture!!! Then one itch later it was over - everywhere, places that you never thought it could get!!!

I know this is a huge no-no, I have cotton balled a little clorox on my ankles ...... one dose of that does the trick. The others gave you sound advice on their remedies.

The sad thing is that the IVY is really not the problem - the human body typically overreacts to the oils and thus we scratch .... I have seen people that could almost rub the leaf on their arm and never have a itch! Not me ......
 
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RCW

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(Knocking on wood) Never got poison ivy.

Oddly, as a forester by education, not sure I can even reliably identify it locally. Looks much different in my neck of the woods versus the Adirondack Mountains, where I learned it in college.

Had a field exam in Dendrology one day in the Adirondacks at summer school. One of the species we stopped at was Poison Ivy.

One of my classmates pulled a piece off and put it in his mouth and chewed on it. 😱😱

He got a trip to the ER.....😳
 
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Lil Foot

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My family went camping with my uncle's family and the campground restrooms were being repaired.
My uncle had to go, so he thought he'd climb the big, steep hill behind camp. He pulled himself up the hill using bushes, then proceeded to "handle" the situation. Turns out the bushes were poison oak.
He was miserable for 2 weeks.
 
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PoTreeBoy

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I also recommend the Technu products, but I usually have to order them here. Another thing that helps is to keep your skin moist - use skin lotion before you go out. And wash thoroughly with soap and warm water as soon as you come in.
 
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skeets

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My oldest is like hokie, just inthe same area,, One WINTER with about 8 inches of snow, her and I were hunting bunnies with the dogs. She tripped and fell in the snow, and by the time we got back to the house she was covered with a rash. The Ex got the clorox and dabbed it all over the rash next day it was all but gone. Maybe not a good thing but it works
 
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Toyman

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I'm pretty susceptible and have a routine when I'm working in the woods which serves me well. Clothes go right in the washing machine, I wash my hands, wrists, face and neck well with Dawn and cold water before I get in the shower. Then it's a cold shower and I wash with Naptha soap and wash cloth very well. Then I go to my normal routine with shampoo & regular soap. If it does come out it's usually pretty minor. A month or so ago, I was lax, and came home and did yard work after cutting a new trail at my hunting property with a trimmer. Got a little spot on my cheek 2 days later. On the third day, at around 3:00 am I woke up feeling odd. Looked in the mirror and I was a prize fighter (that lost:)) Called my doc and got a script for some steroids. Woke up the next morning and it was worse. My one eye was totally shut and the left side of my face was swollen about 2x it's normal size. Called the doc again and had to go in for a shot. Cleared up enough to leave the house the next day, but wasn't good for another 3 days.
 
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BigG

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What is wrong with using bleach to remove the oils? I have done it for years.
 
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sheepfarmer

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What is wrong with using bleach to remove the oils? I have done it for years.
If you read the label it is "corrosive". If you use it without gloves you'll notice your hands feel slippery because it is dissolving your skin. I used it diluted in the lab to dissolve muscle tissue off sample holders, after a few hours the tissue is just gone. A quick dab with some on a cotton ball might work out, and the skin removed with the ivy oil will grow back. Sure don't want it near your eyes.
 
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SidecarFlip

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I have thick skin..... 😀 Never heard of tehcnu, sounds like some sort of car wax to me.

We use Ivy Wash here, always a bottle in the medicine cabinet.

Don't scratch your junk is all I can say about that.
 
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johnjk

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Thanks everyone for the ideas. Worst of it is where the wood chips from the saw got under my watch band. Rubbed the oils in good. I need to clean that band well before I wear it again. I usually don’t wear the watch and have long sleeves on while cutting wood. Saturday it was 74 and sunny and I worked in a T-shirt. Lesson learned. I can ignore the itch and so far it is subsiding without any lotion. I’ll definitely use some of these suggestions provided. 10 yrs ago I could wade through in shorts and pull that stuff out with bare hands without a bump. Now I look at it the wrong way and I get it.
 

Firefox

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Been around poison ivy for years and never had an issue with it. Cut,process,and burn wood with dead vines and removed with and without gloves. I would guess a scratch from a live vine on my leg would not be good,but hands are pretty tough. Just don’t touch face and wash hands.
 

ehenry

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My remedy is "Leaves of Three? Leave It Be".

If you can! :p
 

JimmyJazz

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Ran in to some poison ivy this past weekend getting the windfalls cut up. even though I didn't see any vines or plants I found some and it got up in my gloves and under my watch band. Most likely got it from the wood chips coming off the saw.

So, what do you all use to clean up and get the oils off your skin AND if you miss an area, what have you found to be the best treatment for it?
There is certainly some very good advice being offered here. The only thing I can add would be to pick up some welding gloves with the large cuffs that extend nearly to the elbow. I get them at Harbor Freight for $12. They provide lots of protection for the money. I love working in the woods and have no loader or grapple. There is something oddly satisfying about it. Semi dormant primal instincts being awakened perhaps. Good luck and have fun.
 
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