Prevent Getting Poison Ivy or Poison Oak

Dermatologists estimate that about 15% of the population has no allergic reaction to urushiol, the toxic oil or resin found in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. For the rest of the public, however, a brush with these woody shrubs or vines has miserable consequences, including blisters, swelling of the skin, and an itchy rash that can last up to three weeks. To avoid getting poison ivy or oak, take the following precautions.

Steps

  1. Learn to identify poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, and when you see them, avoid them at all costs. All are woody vines or shrubs that grow independently or climb and trail up trees, fences, and other objects, and along the ground.
    • Poison Ivy:
      • Leaves. Poison ivy has thin, often shiny, bright-green compound leaves. The edges of the leaves usually have large indentations at irregular intervals. The leaves occur in threes, with one leaf at the end of the stem, and two leaves opposite each other on the stem. Hence the saying, "leaves of three, leave it be." The young leaves may be orange, and in the fall the leaves turn red.
      • Vine. The stem is woody and in its native territory is the only native vine with aerial roots. Aerial roots are small roots that grow out of the stem and also help the vine to cling to a support. English Ivy also has aerial roots, but it is not a native plant, and its leaves are very different from those of poison ivy. The aerial roots are commonly seen on older plants growing up or over non-soil supports (stones, trees, fences, etc.). They are often reddish. The aerial roots make the main stem appear hairy, hence the saying, "hairy rope, don't be a dope."
      • Flowers and berries. Depending on the time of year, the plant may have clusters of small, yellowish-green flowers (usually in June) or hard, greenish-white berries (fall). Deer and birds eat the berries, and excrete the seeds, causing new plants to sprout in new places.
    • Poison oak grows primarily in dry areas and also has leaves of three leaflets, and while the leaves often resemble "true oak" leaves, they may take on other appearances as well. They are usually green in spring and summer, turning reddish in late summer and fall. The flowers and berries are white to yellowish-green, as in poison ivy (hence another saying, "berries white, poisonous sight").


    • Poison sumac has leaves of 7-13 leaflets, produces a small, white or grey berry, and is found in boggy or riparian areas. Hereafter, the article refers only to “poison ivy” for brevity, but the steps for poison oak and poison sumac are the same.


  2. Wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts, socks, and fully-enclosed footwear when walking in poison-ivy infested areas. Not only will covering your skin help protect you from poison ivy, but mosquitoes won't bother you as much either.
  3. Wear gloves when working where poison ivy may be present, such as when cutting down trees in the woods, mowing brush, etc. It is recommended that you wear plastic gloves over cotton gloves because urushiol (the oil in poison ivy that is responsible for the allergic reaction) can eventually soak through cotton gloves. Not only is getting poison ivy on your hands a pain, it makes it very easy to spread to the rest of your body, so gloves are an important defense.Wearing pants and long sleeve shirts can give you more time before it has contact with your skin.
    • Exercise caution not to touch your face or eyes (or other exposed skin) with hands or gloves that may have come in contact with poison ivy.
  4. Apply a barrier cream, such as Ivy Block or Stokoguard, if you know you have a good chance of exposure to poison ivy. While no vaccine or medicine has been shown to prevent reactions to poison ivy, barrier creams containing bentoquatam seem to be effective in slowing the absorption of urushiol into the skin. Apply the cream as directed, usually about an hour before potential exposure, and thoroughly wash it off within four hours, reapplying as necessary.
  5. Watch out for poison ivy oil carried back on pets. Even if you avoid poison ivy, your pets may not, particularly if you let them run free in the woods or in a large yard. The urushiol sticks to pets’ fur but typically does not irritate them, so you won’t be able to tell if they’ve gotten into it. Keep dogs on a leash and keep a watchful eye on all pets or farm animals when in poison ivy country. If you think there’s a chance your pet may have been exposed, thoroughly wash it with a good pet shampoo. Wear plastic gloves, cover exposed skin with clothing, and wear safety goggles. Try to prevent your pet from shaking off on the first wash (this is harder than it sounds; hence the safety goggles). Wash and thoroughly rinse your pet with the shampoo and warm water three times in succession to make sure the urushiol is gone. Towel dry, and immediately launder the towel in the washing machine. Let your pet fully dry before touching it with bare skin.
  6. Be careful around streams or ponds. If the plants are hanging into the water the oils can spread and you may be exposed without ever having seen the plant. This can be particularly serious if you swim or bathe in contaminated water
  7. Beware latent resin. Urushiol resin can remain active for a long time—years if kept dry—so handle potentially exposed objects with care. People commonly end up with a reaction from touching garden tools that have been left in the yard, fences from which poison ivy has recently been removed, and clothes that were exposed to urushiol but were put away before the wearer came in contact with the oil. Thoroughly wash or dispose of clothes, tools, or other objects which may have come into contact with poison ivy, and use the same caution touching dead poison ivy plants or plant parts as you would if they were alive. To wash objects, use hot, soapy water and let the clothing or object dry outside for several days.
  8. Control poison ivy manually. Spraying poison ivy with products such as Roundup or Ortho Poison Ivy Killer is not an environmentally friendly choice, especially since such products will usually kill other nearby plants as well. If you wish to remove poison ivy by hand, make sure to dress appropriately, wear barrier cream, and follow all other necessary precautions. Manual removal can be tedious, because you must remove all parts of the plant—stems, leaves, and roots—or it may regrow.
  9. Dispose of poison ivy or exposed objects properly. Check with your municipality to find out any local regulations on poison ivy disposal. In general, dispose of poison ivy or contaminated objects in biodegradable plastic garbage bags, and mark the bags to warn your garbage handlers. You may also bury the poison ivy remnants, a wiser choice, but be sure to bury them deep enough (at least 12 inches to be safe) to prevent regrowth.
  10. Wash exposed skin immediately. It takes about 10-30 minutes after contact for urushiol to bind with skin, so fast cleaning may prevent a reaction. If you think your skin may have been exposed to poison ivy, clean the affected area with rubbing alcohol, and then wash it with cool water. Do this while outside, if possible, and when you are finished proceed immediately to take a hot shower using plenty of soap. Scrub under fingernails thoroughly to wash off any remaining resin.
    • You can also use Tecnu Extreme or Zanfel cleanser if you know you have been exposed to poison ivy. They are both very effective at removing the urushiol, which is vital. Even if used at the first sign of itching or rash, they can reduce the effect and severity of the allergic reaction.
    • See How to Treat Poison Ivy and Poison Oak for more details.
  11. Be sure of your ability to identify poison ivy. Take this photo quiz!
    • Figure 1. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[1]


    • Figure 2. Poison Ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[2]


    • Figure 3. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[3]


    • Figure 4. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[4]


    • Figure 5. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[5]


    • Figure 6. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[6]


    • Figure 7. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[7]


    • Figure 8. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[8]


    • Figure 9. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[9]


    • Figure 10. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[10]


    • Figure 11. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[11]


    • Figure 12. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[12]


    • Figure 13. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[13]


    • Figure 14. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[14]


    • Figure 15. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[15]


    • Figure 16. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer.[16]




Tips

  • A poison ivy reaction usually takes a day or two to appear, although it could take as little as a few hours or as much as 7-10 days. If you think you’ve been exposed to the plant, the sooner you wash your skin the better your chance of having little or no reaction.
  • When in doubt, assume it's poison oak or ivy. It's better to be safe than sorry.
  • Vinegar is another cleansing agent you might try after exposure to poison ivy (urushiol).
  • If you need help remember what is poison ivy and what is not, just remember this rhyme: "Leaves of three let it be; if it's hairy, it's a berry!"
  • If you don't have any other soap available, trying washing off with dish soap (just as it cuts the grease off your dishes, it effectively cuts the urushiol oil off the skin).
  • If there are trails wherever you happen to be going, stay on them. Normally, poison ivy has been cleared out from these areas, but of course there are no guarantees.
  • During river paddling trips in the east, especially in the piedmont and coastal plain, poison ivy often covers large areas along the shoreline. If you need to get to shore, beat down a path through the poison ivy, then immediately return to the river and scrub off using river silt and rinse off in the river.
  • If you are camping or otherwise unable to treat poison ivy with soap and water or various over the counter medications and you know you've been exposed, consult your field guide for a plant known as Jewel Weed. Jewel Weed prefers moist, alluvial areas and the juice from the broken stem of the plant is a folk remedy for poison ivy exposure. This, like most folk remedies, should be taken with a grain of salt and you should still seek proper treatment.
  • If you touch poison ivy put deodorant stick on it right away if you aren’t near water. This will prevent the oil from spreading anywhere else.
  • These plants are quite common in North America: poison ivy and sumac are widespread in much of the eastern and central U.S. as well as parts of Canada, and poison oak is prevalent in California and other parts of the western U.S.
  • While leaves of three leaflets are by far the most common arrangement, poison ivy leaves will occasionally display more or fewer leaflets.
  • While some people experience a reaction to poison ivy the first time they have contact with it, it commonly requires several exposures to the plant before someone develops adverse effects. Thus, don’t assume that you are immune to poison ivy just because you’ve never had problems with it before.
  • If you have irritation due to exposure to one of these, use Listerine on the bad areas -- it dries it out immediately.
  • Poison ivy can be an integral part of the natural environment, and deer and other animals eat or live in poison ivy. For these reasons, consider peacefully coexisting with poison ivy if you have it on your property.
  • Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac cannot be identified by their size. Young plants are obviously quite small, while larger ones can grow up trees {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. The overall appearance of the plants can also be deceiving: they can appear either as a vine or as a shrub. Several woodland plants can be mistaken for poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac but when in doubt, avoid contact with a plant.

Warnings

  • Mango is a close relative of Poison Ivy and contains trace amounts of urushiol. If you exhibit a very strong reaction to poison ivy you should also be careful when around mango trees or handling mangoes.
  • It's important to first wash with rubbing alcohol or vinegar or at least rinse off with cool water before taking a hot shower with soap. Hot water opens pores and can speed the urushiol's entry into the skin. Rather than dissipating the oil, soap will only spread it around. Don't reenter poison ivy after you've washed with rubbing alcohol, however, as the alcohol dries your skin and removes its protective oils.
  • Like any other allergic reaction, poison ivy reactions can get very serious. Contact your physician or request immediate medical assistance if you experience extreme symptoms.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s directions and heed product warnings when using any herbicide. These products may be harmful to humans and pets, as well as to garden plants.
  • Never burn poison ivy. Burning can cause the oil to get into the air; from there, you can breathe it in or get it in your eyes. The smoke from burning poison ivy will cause the same reaction in your lungs that normally happens on the skin. Reactions to this kind of exposure can be far more serious than those resulting from topical contact; in fact breathing the smoke from burning poison ivy can cause death.

Things You'll Need

  • Long pants, long-sleeve shirts
  • Socks and fully-enclosed shoes. Boots may be even better!
  • Gloves (plastic over cotton)
  • Barrier cream
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Vinegar
  • Soap and water - only AFTER cleansing with rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or commercial cleanser like Tecnu, or mineral spirits

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • Mic-ro.com Fairly comprehensive guide to contact-poisonous (poisonous to the touch) plants of the world
  1. ↑ Figure 1. It's Poison ivy. Note the "leaves of three", and the edges of the leaves, which have large (sometimes rounded) serrations at irregular intervals.
  2. ↑ Figure 2. It's NOT poison ivy. The leaf edges have fine, regular serrations.
  3. ↑ Figure 3. It's Poison Ivy. The leaves occur in threes, with one leaf at the tip of the stem, and the other two leaves paired together on the stem. The leaf edges have large indentations at irregular intervals.
  4. ↑ Figure 4. This is a typical mix of wild plants: Virginia creeper and poison ivy. Virginia creeper has clusters of five leaves all coming out of the same spot on the stem. Poison ivy has three leaves, where one leaf is at the end of the stem, and the other two are paired together on the stem, slightly back from the end leaf.
  5. ↑ Figure 5. This is a typical mix of plants growing next to an agricultural field. Yes, there's poison ivy in there.
  6. ↑ Figure 6. Yes, this is Poison Ivy. Poison ivy grows in a wide variety of conditions. If the conditions aren't ideal, it will still grow, but as small, isolated plants, like this one.
  7. ↑ Figure 7. Not poison ivy. These are black raspberry plants, which also have three leaves when young. Note the finely-toothed leaf edges. Poison ivy leaves have large, irregular teeth at the edges.
  8. ↑ Figure 8. Another mix of virginia creeper, poison ivy, and other plants.
  9. ↑ Figure 9. Not Poison Ivy. This plant has three leaves, yes, but the leaf edges are finely serrated (toothed), unlike poison ivy.
  10. ↑ Figure 10. Yes, it's poison ivy. Being an ivy, poison ivy will often grow out onto sidewalks. Be careful!
  11. ↑ Figure 11. Not poison ivy, but a young chestnut sapling. The leaves have finely-toothed leaf edges.
  12. ↑ Figure 12. Yes, it's poison ivy. It will also scramble over stone walls and fences. In the fall, the leaves turn a lovely red / orange / yellow color.
  13. ↑ Figure 13. None of these are Poison Ivy. The plant with clusters of five leaves is Virginia Creeper. The plant with three leaves with finely toothed edges is black raspberry.
  14. ↑ Figure 14. Yes, and no. Mature Poison Ivy plants have a hairy stem, and frequently grows up trees or other things. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where the tree foliage ends, and poison ivy begins. The tree on the right has poison ivy growing up it. The tree on the left has a mix of poison ivy and virginia creeper.
  15. ↑ Figure 15. No poison ivy here. The plant with three leaves with smooth edges is Jack-In-The-Pulpit, a native woodland plant. The other plant has finely-toothed leaf edges, unlike Poison Ivy.
  16. ↑ Figure 16. Not Poison Ivy, but another chestnut sapling. Chestnuts have three leaves when young, and five leaves on more mature stems.
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