poison ivy

[moonshine]

i know this is a general question and i apologize for that.....but these poison ivy roots are killing my left hand.....what do you guys do to avoid it?

 

[Elusion]

First off, be able to identify it and where it's likely to grow and avoid it like the plague. Second, wear gloves while hunting... If I was in an area I suspected poison ivy, I will wear gloves and dispose of them after the hunt and clean my machine and digger top to bottom with alcohol. Poison ivy can be brutal... I've had it so many times that I'm hypersensitive to it enough that if I get near it I basically have to get on a round of steroids from the doc to get rid of it.

 

[GunnarMN]

I have cleared whole patches of the stuff pulling it out by the roots but i wore rubber gloves ,the trick is to wash after and wash your tools . and if you get some of the oil on you wash and if it breaks out use a cup of water with a few drops of bleach it will dry the oil out , i have dug with my bear hands thru poison ivy roots in my gopher traping but i always wash my hands good after and i dont have any problems i may get a few bumps , but if you leave the oil on and it sinks in you will get a badd rash so wash wash wash

 

[detectingmetal]

The above posters are right, the trick is washing the plant oil off as soon as possible. I use a soap called "Tecnu", it's a little pricey but it works. Regular hand soap won't remove it, there might be some homemade solutions that work. I caught some on my arm last month. Had gloves and a long sleeve shirt on, still got it. I must have dug through a root because I avoid the leaves like the plague. I threw the gloves out and washed everything else.

 

[cdsmith46]

One word, already used: TECNU. Scrub with it like your very life depended on it. I would almost rather face my third wife's lawyer than mess with poison ivy!
Chuck Smith

 

[onemore]

Try to be conscious of what you are doing when you are in the ivy... don't touch anything once your gloves have touched the plant or cut roots. And avoid touching your coil or your digger blade.

Whatever you touch, wash it like everyone said. That oil can stay potent for more than a month, so wash everything!

 

[mike4663]

Being a retired logger I always used chain saw gas to wash with, remnber ivy climbs trees,poles and the vine can get real big(3-4" dia.), I have cut trees that had more ivy leaves than the tree itself had. If the vine is hairy be wary, poison ivy vines have hairs that grab the bark to climb, so if its hairy be wary.

 

[Prep1957]

TECNU spend the money,forget the doctor.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

I've had good luck using IvyX products. They make a pre-contact towelette that you can apply before exposure to lessen the chance of the oils penetrating your skin. They also make cleaning towelettes that are easy to throw in a detecting bag and don't require water.

If you already have Poison Ivy I highly recommend Super Ivy Dry spray. It works really well to dry out the rash, and kills the itch within seconds. It's also very inexpensive compared to some of the other products.

 

[ryanchappell]

That TECNU or other posion ivy wash is expensive.

I wash exposed areas with dawn ASAP before the rash appears, and after one appears.

On my hands especially, I have had great, amazing success with half chlorine bleach and half water mixed. I scrub the bumps with the solution, scraping lightly or as I can stand it, using my finger nails to push out the water from the bumps. I rinse the solution off in cool water. My hands smell like bleach for a few hours, and get kind of rough. The bleach breaks down the oil, even inside the skin? and causes your skin to shed, thus killing the sensitive oil embedded layers? It doesn't hurt that bad.

If you try it test it sparingly on a less sensitive patch, especially if you have sensitive skin, or a low tolerance for pain. I have a fairly high tolerance for pain and prefer to get rid of the oil. I don't think it is that painful though. It will probably work anywhere you are willing to put bleach.

I have heard doctors and nurses saying not to do this, because bleach is poisonous, but so are poison ivy, motor oil, acetone, and many other things.

 

[OCDfinder]

Granny says do you realize you have poison ivy over there,its HUGE, look at that big hairy stalk.ITS AS BIG AS MY WRIST! Mystery solved...located next to the site of my 30" diameter 24" deep phantom hole dug the night I received my etrac...and the enlarged hole I dug the next day because I had some "practice" and experience under my belt! AND the etrac DONT LIENevermind the powerline above and the del tower 100' away or, or the direct adjacent chiain link that interfered with my swing. Course hole became so deep and big I got a good swing IN THE HOLE. I recall about 4 numbers bouncing above FE30 but every once an awhile I would get a SOLID 2-30.

Point is, and don't need repeating, if you don't take the advice above...steroids and calamine lotion dries ALL skin surfaces and relief will take a week until cured

 

[tippyhound]

Find another place to hunt. That stuff can be murder if your allergic to it. Had a father in law that could roll in it and never get it. My wife is so allergic to it she can walk down a path in the woods and never get near the plant ant get it, and it spreads like wild fire on her. Last case of it she got here face swelled up to the point her eyes almost swelled shut. One January she broke out with a case of it and the doctor said if someone was burning some brush she could get it out of the air. Best of luck Rick IL

 

[Scortch]

I was fishing some years back and didn't realise I had gotten it on my hands. Well nature called and I had a nice piss. Turns out I am very allergic to it, Oh lord that was hell !!

 

[ryanchappell]

Bleach kills the itch temporarily and cures it in a day or two.

 

[rickf68]

Fels Naphta laundry bar soap. Found in the laundry soap section at the supermarket. I've had good luck washing with it as soon as possible after exposure. And as said by others, alchohol scrub all your equipment. There's also a product called All Stop if you do come down with it. They claim 98.8 % effectiveness.

 

[bunker314]

I got a case of it last summer, never want that again!!! Good suggestions above, I also carry Clorox wipes in a plastic bag. Wipe down if I think I might have contacted some ivy.
HH,
Bunker

 

[ryanchappell]

I got a case of it last summer, never want that again!!! Good suggestions above, I also carry Clorox wipes in a plastic bag. Wipe down if I think I might have contacted some ivy.
HH,
Bunker

You probably know this but Clorox wipes obviously have no bleach in them, else people would be ruining dyed clothing.

 

[Prep1957]

Etrac,extra coils,pinpointer,custom digging tool,computor to read Finds posts,camera to post on finds,gas and car to get to hunting site and you think Tecnu is expensive? Are you guys for real?I bet you guys would buy a $40,000 bass boat then dive overboard to save a 50 cent hook.My best duck hunting buddy is just like you he drives me nuts.

 

[Delta Digger]

If you all get poison ivy or poison oak. The best I've found is a product called appalachian secrets. It's not expense and works fast.

 

[JamesBondaka]

Correction.....If the oak is a strong variety with lots of oil...it can be active for almost a year! As said ....clean clean clean!

Pure oxygen helps in treatment also!

I'm lucky...I'm pretty much immuned to it but if I wasn't....no coin would be worth my time for that!