Poison Ivy

[Scoot]

I've got a tent that I used last summer. We set it up in the dark and ended up around poison ivy. Now, 11 months later I picked it up and got poison ivy again. Anything I can do to clean the tent so I don't get poison ivy every time I pick it up, set it up, or sleep in it? Dang I hate this stuff- my hands are really burning!

[fiskyknut]

Scoot....be careful where you scratch!!!

[CanOCorn]

Poison Ivy extracts an oil that can remain on items for a long time. I hate the stuff! It never fails that at least once a summer, I get it from petting my dog... I think he rolls in it! I think some soapy water and a good hose down should help you get it off of the tent.

[Gissert]

Scoot,

Aw, that sucks. If you can, wash the tent in the suspected areas with a sponge and warm water, preferably with a mild detergent if the tent fabric can handle it.

The only way to keep getting outbreaks is to get that dang plant oil off the tent. Hopefully you did not get any on the inside, or you might end up washing that, too.

Ugh, I hate that stuff. I have heard that Fels Naptha soap works pretty well for easing the discomfort on outbreaks. Man, I feel for ya, I have a terrible time with that stuff.

[muskybuck]

Donate the tent to PETA and buy a new one.

[Riverratpete]

MAN!~ I'd burn it..just got off the Prednisone from a good dose of that stuff..don't want to come within a mile.

[setterguy]

My old man taught me a trick about poison ivy, a guy he was in the army with told him to pour bleach on it. It dries it up and gets rid of it much more quickly. It does sting like the dickens though.

[htgeren]

If its not an exspensive tent I would think this would be a good excuse to get a new one. Otherwise some laundry detergent diluted in warm water should to the trick. I must have got lucky with some fortunate genes and can roll around in the stuff and not get it, but I've got some friends that can pretty much just look at the stuff and get it. It sure doenst look like any fun.

[walleyejon]

That PETA suggestion rocks, then you can even claim it as a donation to charity on your taxes.

[CanOCorn]

I have heard that it is like an allergy for some people. I am one of those people then. I say the words poisoin ivy and I start to itch! Something else I heard about the stuff is that if you burn a bundle of it and inhale the smoke you basically get it inside your lungs and inflamation can kill you.

[friendlyfisher]

make sure you dont get it on your....... yeah you get the point. It really hurts and itches. Im having some terrible flashbacks so I've got to go. ff

[Farley]

Quote:

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Donate the tent to PETA and buy a new one.

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Awesome!

[river-rat4]

Scoot-

My Brother-in-Law get this catalog, it is kind of a "Earth Friendly" thing. Not anti-hunting/fishing. There is a Poison Ivy soap in there. States, that the Oregon Highway Department buys over 2,000 bars a year for its employees. Prevents outbreaks and even states, after irritation has started, healing is greatly accelerated.

Might work on cleaning the tent and self.

Shoot me an Email if you are interested in any more info. I have not tried the stuff personally.

Brandt

btunell at att dot net

[The_Duckslayer]

Quote:

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Donate the tent to PETA and buy a new one.

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Good idea there Musky! If you can though put on some gloves and rub a bit more ivy on the inside just to make sure that they get the max enjoyment out of it! Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[2dalake]

I also like the PETA idea. You probably never liked that tent anyway, right?

[BillP]

Wash and dry in a normal home laundry will get rid of the problem. The heat of the dryer is part of the treatment so if you have to use a very low drying temp. then I would suggest washing twice. Regular bleach will harm a lot of tent fabrics. Because many tent fabrics are at least water repelent, you may want to wash it once then turn it inside out and wash it again to be certain the detergent gets to all parts. A comercial front loader should be big enough and not tear the seams.

Leaves of theree --- Let it be

naw

Leaves of theree --- TWO-FOUR-D

[DrKen]

The oils from the poison ivy will clean off with mild detergent. You may have to retreat the tent to keep it waterproof. Also regarding leaves of three the use 2,4,d which is a broadleaf weed killer such as Weed-b-gon or similar they tend to be ineffective on Poison Ivy. There are special products from Ortho and Round-up for killing poision ivy. Just a tip if you have it in your yard like I do. Also, if you do have a poison ivy allergy you may cross react with other substances such as mango's and laquered furniture as they have a similar compound in them. Protection in the woods, if you do have the reaction would include long clothes and barrier creams. If you are doing landscape or excavation around poison ivy and do react please wear a breathing mask as you may inhale the oils as you disturb plants, live or dead and then react in your respiratory tract. Not a fun experience. Have a great summer

[BLACKJACK]

Quote:

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Leaves of three --- Let it be

naw

Leaves of three --- TWO-FOUR-D

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I like it!!

I disagree with you DrKen, 2-4D will kill poison ivy deader than dead. Mix a little diesel fuel with it for better contact. The advantage of 2-4D over Roundup is that Round up kills everything while 2-4D just kills the broadleafs, leaving the grasses. If you kill everything, then weeds will be the first thing to move back in.

[BillP]

Blackjack,

I used Two-four-D in the poem because it rimes with "let it be". I know there are better poison ivy killers (Trimic (sp)for one)but I have 19 acres of trails through woods and a brother that catches it if he gets too close to a photo of the plant. I frequently can get 2-4-D free from a contact so I use it and it works. As you said the idea is to get other vegitation to take over and then just spot treat outbreaks of ivy. Killing everything only makes the problem worse in the long run.

[gary/duluth]

SOAP AND WARM WATER IS A GREAT WAY TO CLEAN YOUR TENT .IF THAT DOES NOT WORK JUST BUY A NEW ONE. WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ONCE, AND MY WIFE GOT IT ON HER (Contact US Regarding This Word), I HAD TO PUT CREAM ON HER BLACK & BLUE BUTT AND ENDED UP GETTINT IT ALSO! GOOD LUCK WEAR GLOVES WHEN CLEANING UP YOUR TENT!!!!!

[protiller]

check out this HSOforum http://poisonivy.aesir.com It has identification and treatments of poison ivy, oak and sumac.

-tiller

[Lunker]

Pretty sure I'm immune, sorry guys!

[The Grebe]

Lunker...I thought I was immune also....until I got it! I went most of my adult life, hunting, fishing, camping, trapping, never got poison ivy.

Then one time a few itcy little bubbles turned up on my stomach...I had the dreaded poison ivy after crawling up the river bank, during a camping trip on the

Mississippi.

That was it, never got it again for years and years, then a couple of itcy bubbles turned up on my ankle, I did'nt take care of it properly, it got into my nerve and now I have a chronic itch in that one isolated spot.

Ten or 15 years after I got the spot on my ankle, I got it again on my hand and treated it accordingly and get this, the itch on my ankle stopped itching? Hair of the dog, I don't know?

You will be immune until you get it the first time and if you mess around in that stuff, eventually, it will find a (Contact US Regarding This Word) in your armor, like it did mine!