Uh Oh Poison Ivy.....

Inspector507 · Jun 1, 2004

TMAC,
Bleach works for me as well.......I use it straight out of the bottle. Burns like heck and does redden the skin for a day or two, but it also dries it up and washes away any residue.

TMAC · Jun 1, 2004

I might still try it straight out of the bottle for less sensitive areas but the time before last I used straight bleach right below my belly button and man it killed it but it cracked my skin right open. Bought left a big permanent scar the size of a softball on me so I try and weaken it a little now.

Never really asked the doctor what he thought about using bleach. Probably not highly recomended but heck it beats going to the doctor every time you get it bad.

Until next time,, stay out of the Poison Ivy. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkV · Jun 2, 2004

I agree with TMAC when he says you can get it even if you think you are immune. I was clearing some old dead cedar trees last fall that had some pretty aggressive Poison Ivy vines. Never having been infected in my 50+ years I didn't think too much of it. Well I got it that time and got it good. Thanks to CowBoyDoc's recommendation Zanfel put an end to a miserable week of discomfort. Kind of expensive but at the time I would have paid about anything for some relief.

The experience did leave me with a little country wisdom that I will share with my friends here on TBN. "When clearing vines never pee in the woods!!!!" Your imagination can fill in the rest of the story. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

MarkV

Soundguy · Jun 2, 2004

Yikes.. all the stories on here about chemical sensitivity.

So far.. I've only found one thing that seems to bother my skin.. and that's cresote. And in the past few years since I've had a lot of cresote fencing installed.. I havn't even had reactions to that either... nor straight bleach.

Guess I better knock on wood and be glad that at least for now.. I'm enjoying some decent imunity.

Soundguy

smilingreen · Jun 2, 2004

Ouch, Mark...been there, done that in the woods, multiple times. One would think after doing that once and getting.... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif all messed up, tthat I would remember. Nope, I have gotten it about 6 times there!! The wife isn't too happy about it every time it happens!.

Most of the time, I get it from running my chainsaws back in my cedar woods. Those chips and dust get everywhere!

To20Chris · Jun 2, 2004

While I really don't get it too bad - I respect it none-the-less. I wash with soap and water fairly often if I know I've been in it, but I can work with it and not get more than a few bumps. I save the string trimming for last & shower right after. As for the vines on the trees, I use an axe, preferably in the winter. It makes chips, but it does not blow sawdust all over, so it is more controllable. Sharpen it good first - PI is not too tough, and you can whack through it in a couple of swings. It's quite satisfying too! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

SPIKER · Jun 2, 2004

(I 2nd what t20chris said, I use a machette on mine, and was back there playing in it from 11 am till 730. clearing some fallen limbs form the woods and soem BIG branches. it all fell down into PI that is in full bloom. Lots of little green berries! wonder how they taste? anyone want to try one I'll send them some! lol

anyhow the PI is an acidic compound and actually is a chemical burn! neturalize is fast as you can will help it. cold water and washing is best and like i stated earlier the sour milk or plane milk helps too as it is on the other side of the PH scale and neturalizes it fast... keeping it form BURNING anything else. and yes I had to GO in the woods today too... wisely I held it untill I could get washed hands at least!

I did end up chainsawing soem of it it was all over the logs and or LARGE limbs I was sawing up. I got about 2 cord of wood fomr the upper branches of two trees that broke out. left the butt of the tree trunk standing it is about 30' up and 30" across white maple wood. very nice smelling, though I didn't get the nose too close to hte PI! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

ok have fun

SPIKER
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

RobertN · Jun 2, 2004

Poison oak and Ivy do tend to be climate and elevation determined. We have poison oak here in the Gold Country(500-3000' elevation). Get up above 3500 or 4000' elevation, and it is rare to nonexistant.

Interestingly, Poison Oak and Poison Ivy are in the In the Cashew family, or ANACARDIACEAE. Cashew, Pistachio and others in the family can cause irritation for people when handling the leaves.Poison oak has a interesting name; Toxicodendron diversilobum. Your poison Ivy is Toxicodendron radicans.

Here is a site that gives a good description of what you have
www.cloudnet.com/~djeans/FlwPlant/PoisonIvy.htm

Bird · Jun 2, 2004

( I use a machette on mine )

That's a very handy tool on the farm after you learn to use it properly, which took me awhile. I used mine on poison ivy, briars, and other vines, as well as very small saplings at times. And since I used cages on my tomato plants, and since the plants grow through the cages, at the end of the season, it used to be quite a job to get all those cages and the old tomato plants separated until I learned to chop off everything outside the cages with the macette, then lift the cages from the ground. That machette made a fast easy job of putting away the cages each Fall.

Poppa · Jun 3, 2004

( ( I use a machette on mine ) 

That's a very handy tool on the farm after you learn to use it properly, which took me awhile. )

Now that reminded me of when I was learning to use a machete. Heck, might even be able to combine this thread with an earlier one about yellow jackets.

I had just started working for a surveying firm and as low man had the job of clearing line. No one trusted me with a chainsaw yet so they gave me a nice, new, very sharp machete. I thought I was doing okay with it hacking away at anything in the way and making a nice site line.

At some point though. I realized I was no longer alone in the woods. Apparently my efforts had disturbed a good sized ground nest of yellowjackets. Now next to snakes and spiders, I hate yellow jackets almost as bad as hornets. Anyway, I see that I am in unfriendly company and I start running.

Well, the easiest direction to run was back the way I came since I had cleared such a nice trail. Of course, that way led back to my boss, the instrument man. He takes one look at me running towards him, machete swinging and his eyes get real wide. Not realizing that his reaction was centered on the sharp machete flying around, I wrongly assumed he was looking behind me and had seen a cloud of yellowjackets of biblical proportions coming after me. I of course turned up the speed of all my limbs which made his eyes bigger which made me run faster and actually start screaming like a girl because by now I know that the mother of all yellow jacket colonies is on my tail. My boss finally couldn't take it anymore and just before I got to him, he started screaming at me to stop my running and put the machete down. That's when I noticed that there weren't any yellowjackets anywhere around me.

I explained the best I could but come time for winter layoffs I was the first one looking for new work. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Mike