Poison Ivy

[Old Red]

The neighbors wood I picked up last weekend had been placed at the side of the road. I failed to notice or remember that there's quite a bit of ivy grows there. I'm guessing a vine or two got smashed when the wood was dropped and juiced on the bark. I'm really sensitive to the stuff since burning a brush lot almost fifty years ago.

Last Monday:


Today:


I think I'll be a little more careful from now on.

 

[MarylandGuy]

It's not hard to spot Poison Ivy when moving wood. If there is no vine running up the wood (maybe removed when tree was cut up), then the "hairs" that held the vine to the wood are still present.

I am like you, I get it bad. But I won't refuse wood that has it attached. I typically stack it last in my truck so I know where it is. When I get home, I'll put the rounds through the splitter, only splitting about an inch into the wood where the vine is. Essentially making a split just below the bark line. I then lay those pieces side by side in the woods, bark side up, to allow the rain and snow to wash away the poison. A year later, the bark usually just falls off and I am good to go with that piece.

From my experience, poison ivy only runs up one side of the tree, the sunny side. So you only have a small area of the round to deal with.

Oh and after splitting, I put my clothes and gloves right in the washer and take a shower. Don't put them in a laundry basket for the wife to do. Don't ask me how I know that's bad.

 

[LowbanksArcher]

I just had P I on my face a few weeks ago. Looked like I'd been in a fight. Not fun

 

[NateB]

Piece of useful information. Hand sanitizer will break the bond of poison ivy oil with your skin. If you treat the area with hand sanitizer and wash immediately with cold water. Do it as many times as you think about it during the day. In 24 hours the itch stops, and then moisturize to heal the rash.

 

[JA600L]

I got it too last weekend. Luckily it didn't spread or rash like it normally does. Cold shower right away, wash all of your clothes you were wearing, maybe spray down boots.

 

[Jason763]

Ouch ! I'm not allergic to poison ivy, but several coworkers are. They swear by a product called Zanfel.

 

[weatherguy]

Ouch ! I'm not allergic to poison ivy, but several coworkers are. They swear by a product called Zanfel.

Yeah, that's good stuff, it's expensive but cheaper in the long run if you can stay away from getting a bad rash.

 

[Kaper Evets]

I have never heard of the zanfel brand, will do my home work on it. I used to get poison ivy so bad I would need a steroid shot at least once a year. Eventually I started using tecnu. They offer a lotion-like detergent that you can use to wash the clothes with. They also have a scrub similar to goo or fast orange, so it feels good as you scrub it in.

 

[NateB]

I have the same results with hand sanitizer that I do with zanfel, but I just have an average reaction to poison ivy.

 

[jeff4ee]

I read somewhere that poison ivy oil is like automotive grease. If you can clean yourself up in time, you should be alright. That includes a thorough scrubbing like you would do if you were working out in the garage. However, I'm only smart enough to share this advice, not actually follow it. I get poison ivy very bad, and I might start scratching just from talking about it now. I use a product called Technu to clear up the rash, it's the best I've found so far!

 

[NateB]

Yes the oil is very sticky, and if you wash it off with cold water and soap, so your pores don't open, it will greatly reduce or eliminate the rash and itch. If you wait to long to wash around 45 min the oils start to chemically bond like glue to your skin. At this point you have 2 choices 1. You can use a chemical that breaks the bond, and then flush the oil off your skin, or you can let the chemical bond break down naturally over the next week or 2.

There is a lot of magic and mystery behind this process, but the non magic solution behind it is alcohol breaks the chemical bond, but it is very harsh on your skin, so hand sanitizer is a good option, because it is not as harsh. The key is you have to understand what the hand sanitizer does. It just breaks the bond, so if you wipe it on and let it dry one the alcohol is gone the oil just starts to bond to your skin again. You must break the bond and flush the oil away with cold water and soap. There are many chemicals that break the bond, but the process is what's important.

I hope my explanation is clear and help full, if not feel free to ask.

 

[beatlefan]

I don't get PI, but have a friend that gets it bad. He buys these little wet wipes (from TSC I think). It's a preventive. He wipes down whenever he knows he'll be around it. They seem to work well.

 

[mark cline]

I start to itch when I see it, I will need a steroid shot when I get the rash. Fortunately ,I can spot it going down the road at 50 mph. I have been controlling it on my property by spraying the areas with roundup in a back pack sprayer.

 

[StihlKicking]

The neighbors wood I picked up last weekend had been placed at the side of the road. I failed to notice or remember that there's quite a bit of ivy grows there. I'm guessing a vine or two got smashed when the wood was dropped and juiced on the bark. I'm really sensitive to the stuff since burning a brush lot almost fifty years ago.

Last Monday:
View attachment 177605

Today:
View attachment 177606

I think I'll be a little more careful from now on.

Damnit anyway!

 

[LowbanksArcher]

I read somewhere that poison ivy oil is like automotive grease. If you can clean yourself up in time, you should be alright. That includes a thorough scrubbing like you would do if you were working out in the garage. However, I'm only smart enough to share this advice, not actually follow it. I get poison ivy very bad, and I might start scratching just from talking about it now. I use a product called Technu to clear up the rash, it's the best I've found so far!

Sounds like this video. I touched some poison ivy vine last weekend and scrubbed hard with a wash cloth afterwards. Didn't get an outbreak this time.

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[AmbDrvr253]

OUCH! That looks painful! Leaves of three LET IT BE!