Poison ivy and firewood

[Oldtimer]

The oil remains "active" for at least 5 years. So even if you spray herbicide on it and it dies, 5 years later the soil can give you an outbreak.

I wouldn't screw with any PI covered ANYTHING, even if it was Jessica Alba sitting on a pile of hundred dollar bills and a case of wild turkey.:taped:

 

[mga]

just dry and burn it like any other wood.

if you're still unsure, stack it up and gimme a call. i'll dispose of it for ya.

 

[joshockey]

im not highly sensitive to it the poison sumac though, it will tear me up bad most of the wood i have has tiny vines and i figured with it stacked up and in direct sunlight uncovered id be ok with it.

 

[RAMROD48]

I am taking Prednizone 5 at a time right now...$4 for the script...

What its going to cost Mother Nature for being such a B****...about 30 acres of trees that i was trying to decide wether or not to cut...

I WIN.....

 

[SPDRMNKY]

I would not burn it in an open fireplace, but in an air tight stove you should be fine, it it season, time will help degrade the wood (UV light will destroy most things over time, and as it seasons the bark should fall off or at least loosen so you can pull it off most of the oil should be on the bark.

that's what I do...and strip the bark if I can...or take my saw and cut a nice trench along the log to get the remnants off

on the topic of treatments once exposed...I've been using tecnu for a while, which helps remove the oils...but jewelweed actually helps relieve my symptoms and heal the rash MUCH faster...plus it stops the itching in about 30 seconds

just google "jewelweed" and check out the altnature lady's website...it is light years ahead of anything else I've tried...even the big-guns doctor stuff

I'm actually off to a jewelweed soap shower since I was into the stuff again today.

cheers!

 

[howellhandmade]

Not to get too far off the topic, but there is a product called Zanfel. It can be found at most larger drug store chains. It costs $40 for a 1 ounce tube but is worth its weight in gold. I am not severly allergic to poison ivy, but I will get a pretty good rash if exposed to it. You use this stuff directly on the rash and in two days, the rash is almost completely gone. I have used it with astounding success. It completely removes the urushiol oil from the skin and stops the itch in about 10 seconds of treatment. Works on Poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Just a little FYI for those still fighting the itch...

Sigh, Zanfel has done bupkis for me. As for the wood, when I've gotten rounds that had PI on it I peeled the bark if not too hard (like locust, peels easily), or stacked it separately until the bark got loose. It's pretty rare because I won't go close to a tree that's got lots of ivy on it, the only thing that helps the reaction for me is cortisone, and I want to stay away from that too. It's true, there SHOULDN'T be much oil left behind once the vines are pulled off, and what there is SHOULD degrade if you leave the wood outside for a year or two, but if you get PI bad you become pretty shy of it. Seems that people who develop the allergy in adulthood get it the worst. Kinda like people who never got chicken pox as a kid and then catch it later. I never had PI until I was almost 40, now it damn near kills me.

 

[Justsaws]

I was picking up some oak rounds that a friend had left me from a tree removal. Some of the rounds had poison ivy vines on them. I pulled off the vines as best I could. I know not to burn poison ivy, but will it be okay to burn the wood that HAD poison ivy on it? For health purposes.

Kevin

I remove the bark, typically after splitting and drying. I have seen the long term after effects of PI in smoke and would not wish that on most enemies.

After PI skin exposurer I use Dawn dishwashing soap with Olay and a long cold shower, radiation exposure scrub down procedure, very effective.

 

[dingeryote]

The oil remains "active" for at least 5 years. So even if you spray herbicide on it and it dies, 5 years later the soil can give you an outbreak.

I wouldn't screw with any PI covered ANYTHING, even if it was Jessica Alba sitting on a pile of hundred dollar bills and a case of wild turkey.:taped:

LOL!!!
You would freeze to death here!!

It's just about as evil and nasty as you describe though.
I have one of those "Garden claw" things to peel the hairy vines off before cutting, and use Ether to decon everything afterwards.
No problem burning it once the bark gets loose and falls off. Just gotta remember to wear the gloves when dealing with those splits.

Been crawling into the stuff on a daily basis, cutting it out of the bushes lately.
No way around it, and yep, it sucks.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[dingeryote]

Not to derail a revived thread, but has anyone heard from Blue Ridge Mark?
He was in on the first page last year, and he's been scarce for a while now?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[AIM]

Zanfel works great for my wife. Pricey but very effective. I'm fortunate enough to no get it real easy. As long as I keep the fresh chips off exposed skin while cutting through it I'm usually OK.

Just a note: PI in your armpit is EXTRORDINARILY uncomfortable!

 

[mga]

that's what I do...and strip the bark if I can...or take my saw and cut a nice trench along the log to get the remnants off

on the topic of treatments once exposed...I've been using tecnu for a while, which helps remove the oils...but jewelweed actually helps relieve my symptoms and heal the rash MUCH faster...plus it stops the itching in about 30 seconds

just google "jewelweed" and check out the altnature lady's website...it is light years ahead of anything else I've tried...even the big-guns doctor stuff

I'm actually off to a jewelweed soap shower since I was into the stuff again today.

cheers!

i use jewelweed. seems to work pretty good.

 

[flyboy553]

I use Starter Fluid. If I catch it right away, I just spray it on the affected area and it's gone. If I am a little late and get a rash, I scratch it until it is opened up, and then spray it, and it is gone by morning. Must be the alcohol in starter fluid that does it.
Has never not worked!!

Ted

 

[banshee67]

with some of the rashes ive had the last few years im so paranoid about getting it anymore
i carry poison ivy scrub/wash and concentrated degreaser soap like used for washing dishes
i wash my hands/arms/face a couple times before even getting in my truck
then when i get home ill usually take some paper towel , run it under water, then put a little bleach on it and wipe my hands and arms right before i get in the shower
in the shower i wash with another poison ivy scrub on my arms/hands/face/neck then normal soap
then i pray no rashes show up
nothing like having to sleep with long socks pulled over your forearms and masking tape on your neck to stop the rashes from spreading
i love poison ivy

what do you guys use to spray tools with afterwards in case they came in contact with any?
i just know ill get it when i go to sharpen the chain i cut through a thick poison ivy vine with the other day

 

[Zale]

I will burn it. Just need to be careful in handling he wood. A product I found to help prevent from getting the itch is Oral Ivy. The stuff is actual made from poison ivy. You put 5 drops in a glass of water and drink it down. By doing it everyday during the growing season, you build up a resistance to it. I work around PI everyday and have been very satisfied with the results

 

[dingeryote]

with some of the rashes ive had the last few years im so paranoid about getting it anymore
i carry poison ivy scrub/wash and concentrated degreaser soap like used for washing dishes
i wash my hands/arms/face a couple times before even getting in my truck
then when i get home ill usually take some paper towel , run it under water, then put a little bleach on it and wipe my hands and arms right before i get in the shower
in the shower i wash with another poison ivy scrub on my arms/hands/face/neck then normal soap
then i pray no rashes show up
nothing like having to sleep with long socks pulled over your forearms and masking tape on your neck to stop the rashes from spreading
i love poison ivy

what do you guys use to spray tools with afterwards in case they came in contact with any?
i just know ill get it when i go to sharpen the chain i cut through a thick poison ivy vine with the other day

Nothing beats Ether for decon of equipment. Nothing. Brake cleaner might come close, but is twice the price.
Just wait for the saw to cool down.

Plain old Purple cleaner or simple green works great for clothing. Just drop everything into a 5 Gal bucket and let it sit overnight, wring it out, and toss everything into the washing machine.
Found some new industrial degreaser at the Ag supplier the other day that works on bio-slime better than anything I have ever seen, so it should be the ticket. Havn't tried it on PI yet though.

Wood handled stuff is the worst. It never really is safe after getting slimed.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[SPDRMNKY]

what do you guys use to spray tools with afterwards in case they came in contact with any?
i just know ill get it when i go to sharpen the chain i cut through a thick poison ivy vine with the other day

solvent or windex seems to work well...spray liberally on a rag, wipe down, throw rag away...I use solvent everywhere except inside the cab of my skidloader...there it's windex (no overpowering smell) on everything that I touched and might be cross contaminated

I am paranoid about cross contamination...never thought that military chem training would come in handy:alien2:

 

[KMB]

I had forgotten about this thread that I started a few years ago. Good info still being shared! I haven't been into any of the nasty stuff lately, and I still haven't gotten any Jewelweed....I need to get some ordered!

Kevin

 

[zogger]

I had forgotten about this thread that I started a few years ago. Good info still being shared! I haven't been into any of the nasty stuff lately, and I still haven't gotten any Jewelweed....I need to get some ordered!

Kevin

--jewelweed grows all over here. Look in shady bogs, edges of creeks, etc. Very easy to spot, especially when it flowers. Even then the plant itself is almost iridescent, stands out readily.

 

[zogger]

Here's your Jewelweed

I had forgotten about this thread that I started a few years ago. Good info still being shared! I haven't been into any of the nasty stuff lately, and I still haven't gotten any Jewelweed....I need to get some ordered!

Kevin

I don't know what you mean by ordered, live plants or seeds or just the inner juice bottled up, but took a coupla pics today of some wild growing here. It is just starting to flower. One bonus pic of beefers and kity and doggies in the swamp near where the big patch of jewelweed is.

Anyway, what are you looking for? I got no idea how to ship them and have them stay fresh. Maybe transplant some in pots, then prune heavy, then take a chance and ship them in a box? I think they'd croak. I haven't had all that much luck with saplings being shipped, let alone real delicate plants like these are. They need moist and cool and shade, you won't see them growing anyplace they get even a little sunburnt. They seem to be able to take just a teeny bit of mild sun, early or late, but I never see any growing where they get hit with mid day sun. I'll give it a whack if you want some though, maybe pack them in wet peat moss or whatever. Well, whatever dirt and stuff they are growing in now, wrapped in like brown paper bag paper then..I dunno. The saplings they ship in long tubes with the trees themselves in plastic sleeves that hold the wetness in, but half of them I ever got came croaked, either frozen during shipping or dried out hot/heat related/starting to rot..

 

[Whitespider]

...nothing like having to sleep with long socks pulled over your forearms and masking tape on your neck to stop the rashes from spreading...

If your hands are free of the sticky, resin-like oil (urushiol), rubbing or scratching the rash will not spread poison ivy, oak or sumac to other parts of your body (or to another person). Some people get blisters, and breaking them will not spread it either (someone is gonna' argue with me, but it is a myth). The oil (urushiol) is absorbed by the skin within minutes, but the excess is easily washed off with lots of cold water (hot water may open skin pores making the rash worse) and most cleansers. The problem with urushiol is it doesn't degrade and can last with full potency on surfaces for years... surfaces like tool handles, steering wheels, watch bands and belt buckles. And now for the big kicker, when urushiol gets on your cloths, and you toss the clothes in the washer it can spread to to other cloths items. Clothes suspected of being in contact with urushiol should be washed separately, at least twice, in a strong mix of detergent and water. Understand that the amount of urushiol it would take to cover the head of a pin could give 500 people a rash from head to foot.

I get poison ivy rash several times a year, often after running the weed-eater around the edges of the grove; I normally don't get the big blisters, just a rash and a few smaller blisters. After using the weed-eater I've learned to strip outside and carry my clothes straight to the washer and wash them separately while I take a long, cool, soapy shower. I pat dry, rather than rub dry, with the towel and wash it immediately. This seems to minimize the amount and severity of the rash, which I do not treat with any medicines, creams or chemicals... takes about 2-3 weeks to go away. The "itch" isn't all that bad for me, kind'a comes and goes. The effects are different for every person; all my dad has to do is walk down wind from the stuff and he breaks out in a horrible nasty rash with blisters, while my three-year-old appears to be immune to the stuff... I've caught him rolling in it. Dad borrows my weed-eater a couple times a year because his gets left up at the lake home from time-to-time; I need to wash it with tire cleaner and plenty of water before he takes it or just the act of touching it will cause him to break out in a bad, painful rash.