Everyone’s different. I used to get it bad as a kid but seemed to have built up a modicum of resistance to it. My mother can walk around a big patch pulling it out of the ground and not get. Others,, ,,just look at it and break out. If it’s a nice tree I’ll cut the vines off the trunk with a chainsaw using the top of the bar so most of the stuff sprays away. Slicing the vines and bark right off the tree. You’ll still get the stuff all over you. Work for about three hours and then take a long hot shower and scrub with soap and washcloth. The washcloth is critical. Most soaps dont dissolve that oil well. That’s just what works for me and gets the vines off a nice log. Not suggesting anyone else do it. Once the vines and bark is gone the wood will be fine to burn IMO. That one I’d drag in the woods and let it rot.
Ron T I'll tell you a story and hopefully it will make you and others think strongly about this. Once upon a time I was young. I also was never bothered with poison ivy. I remember going to work in the woods and other guys would often break out with the stuff while it never bothered me. Fast forward many years and my wife and I moved to a place along a river. The trees were loaded with PI. We had young kids and were worried about them getting into it as it was really thick. So one weekend I went to work clearing the stuff high enough so nobody would be touching it. Of course once it got cut off the trees it had to be taken care of and like other brush I simply burned it. Yes, not only was I young and foolish but dumb too. I just did not know...until a few hours later. I then found out what PI rash was like...big time. And the first place it showed was on my thighs, crotch and arms. Eventually it was all over me. One son got it even worse and my wife took him to a doctor. When she told him what happened he became extremely concerned. Said I was very lucky to be alive! Said breathing the smoke like I did could have been fatal. Wow!!!! But I still had to go to work... I was the plant foreman so had to be there but you can bet I designated others to do any running around for me if it were possible for a few days. Fortunately I have never broke out with it again except for one time and it was really a mild case. Go ahead and laugh about this buy please also learn from my mistake.
The old Fels Naptha soap works to get the urushiol off of skin and clothing. There's more modern things too, but they tend to be a lot more expensive... Luckily, I'm one of those who it does not bother much. I had it really bad as a kid(almost hospitalized), but as an adult, I've only had a few mild cases.
This is yet another reason I do not cut wood in the warm weather, for some reason the stuff does not seem to be as strong when it is not in leaf. Now I understand this is just a blow down, just mentioning. Another good cleanup I found is Thieves Oil Soap.
Despite what the CDC may say, there are times that you are better off washing your hands before going to the bathroom, rather than after...
I remember the score you had a couple years ago that had it all over. Didnt your hands get it bad if memory serves me correct?
I'll use a hatchet to loosen the vines & rubber gloves to peel the vines off trees. I'm fortunate to not be highly allergic after a horrible case in my younger years. I will not ever burn the stuff & I'll leave a tree like that to rot if I don't have to remove it.
Yeah! From that mulberry tree in the field beside my place. I did all the tricks too. Had the lye soap right away, rubbing alcohol to dry it up. Still came to bloom and drove me crazy. I didn’t used to get poison. Now I keep my distance and give it the respect it deserves.
Dawn dish soap works very well on removing the Urishol oil. Wash the area contacted by the ivy asap, within 4 hrs of contact, the sooner the greater chance of no issues, the later time goes by the less chance of getting off scott free. You don't just wash, you scrub like you have axle grease on you. Someone here on this site had a thread 5 or 6 years ago on PI and there was some great info there.
I lather up in hand sanitizer if I think any contact was made with poison ivy. The kind that smells like corn liquor. Seems to work because I haven't had any in 2 yrs.
Pretty much any mechanics hand cleaner works pretty good, since its made to cut grease it takes the ivy oils off too...the kind with pumice helps with the scrubbing part too...I really like this stuff for hand cleaner, pretty much all I will use the last 15 years or so...and everybody that I've talked into trying it stays with it too. Not cheap, but a little goes a long way! Magic All Natural Industrial Hand Cleaner You can buy it on amazon and the like...
