Decontaminating equipment

[KevSauce]

Ok so I have been tiring away with some very large, downed hardwood trees over the past few weeks (its a part time thing) and just to make things "spicy" these trees are COVERED in poison ivy vines. Any I mean the big, hairy ones!!!

Up until last week the plants had not begun to bud, so the vines were relatively inert. I took the usual precautions- i.e. not sawing into them to avoid inhaling the saw dust, wore gloves, ect. Nonetheless, my arms and parts of my neck and chest are not feeling so good... my girlfriend even asked if I had "something I wanted to tell her"... yea, she is not too bright

So, now I need to know how I can remove any remaining oil from my saws and what not. I figured medical alcohol would work... and then, if it still hurts I can take a shot or too JUST KIDDING... Or, do I even need to bother with this? I figured since my gloves touched the vines and then the saw handle and throttle and starter ect, some oil might still be present effectively making me allergic to my saws... not cool!

Thoughts?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Anything that will strip the oil should work, as long as it doesn't eat the plastic. Simple Green does a good job.

 

[knockbill]

i thought you could get poison ivy from any part of teh plant any time of year?? not sure what to wash teh saws with,,,

 

[striperswaper]

where in NYC is there big hardwood with big PI vines?
use IPA like you mentioned if you want to be extra safe
stay away from the sap and if you see the shiny oil surfaced leaves stay away, be sure not to burn it the smoke will really do a number on you
I would only want to chip it when its frozen

good luck explaining your condition to your GF

 

[dingeryote]

For decon of equipment I just hose everything down with Ether untill it is dripping. Just make sure the saw is cooled off and ya aren't smoking.

Simple green and Castrol super clean mixed strong does a good job too, especially for gloves, clothes etc.

Be mindfull of leather boots though. The urishol gets INTO the leather and will leech out over time. I had a hell of a case of PI on both feet for months and couldn't quite figure it out LOL!!

Get to the doc and get goin on the Meds.
No point in suffering while the GF is freaking out.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[KevSauce]

good question... I changed my location to CT which is where the tree work is taking place.

 

[mikefunaro]

The tecnu products, available at drug stores and online from baileys, and all the tree supplies, are advertised as being effective at removing active oils from tools. They definitely work well for skin.

 

[CentaurG2]

You need to use something that is going to remove the ivy oil. Tecnu is good stuff but it is expensive and I think it is little more than thickened mineral oil. Tecnu works on the like dissolves like principle. You can also probably use WD-40 to clean your saws. Another recommendation would be laundry detergent diluted like a Tablespoon to a gallon and a good water rinse.

I have done a lot of poison ivy work and have never had any problems with saws re-contaminating me but I do take precautions. If I know I am going to be waste deep in the stuff, I wear rubber boots, disposable or washable cotton coveralls, disposable gloves etc. Work on a cold, calm day. Sweat can be your worst enemy with PI. Treat it like radioactive waste and you should be fine. If you are having some serious reactions, go to the hospital and get some shots. They will save you hours/days of misery. Good Luck.

 

[2dogs]

Tecno as mentioned works well as does just about any detergent. Purple Power is my standard parts cleaner and it works very well. Hose your saw off after you use PP. PP is the best air filter cleaner I have found too.

Don't forget the other tools you used that day such as wedges, ax, scrench, fuel can. They all can come back to bight you next time you use them. A good rainstorm with all those tools in the back of the truck will pretty muchly clean everything too.

 

[Streblerm]

I personally use heavy duty hand cleaner without pumice. This is the greasy stuff that you can wipe off with a rag and no water if necessary. Gojo and Permatex are the two brands that I see around here. Sometimes I'll practically bathe in the stuff before leaving the woods

I wash clothes/gloves that came in contact with PI with simple green or something similar in the washing machine.

Tools I usually just wipe down with a rag with or without some sort of cleaner on it. I can't recall ever getting PI from a tool, and I have gotten PI pretty much every other way imaginable. It seems that most of the plastics are not very porous and don't hold the PI oils very well?

 

[KevSauce]

I personally use heavy duty hand cleaner without pumice. This is the greasy stuff that you can wipe off with a rag and no water if necessary. Gojo and Permatex are the two brands that I see around here. Sometimes I'll practically bathe in the stuff before leaving the woods

I wash clothes/gloves that came in contact with PI with simple green or something similar in the washing machine.

Tools I usually just wipe down with a rag with or without some sort of cleaner on it. I can't recall ever getting PI from a tool, and I have gotten PI pretty much every other way imaginable. It seems that most of the plastics are not very porous and don't hold the PI oils very well?

What about using Tecnu to wash chaps?

 

[Mad Professor]

Diesel fuel/kerosene then simple green or dish detergent.

Wear rubber gloves and long sleeved shirt.

 

[Frank Boyer]

I've used hand cleaner and it helps a lot. When using my loader to clear brush, poison oak was always present. When I got home, I'd wash all exposed skin with hand cleaner and use hot water and extra soap on the laundry. My wife got poison oak a few times from my clothes and that went over real well!!

 

[Rftreeman]

good ole hot soapy water works wonders...and is safe for the saws finish....

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

What about using Tecnu to wash chaps?

Waste of money. All you need to do is get rid of the oil. Any good washing method that does that will work. Tecnu may be a great thing to use on your skin, but it's not magic. $ave it for where it's needed. Chaps can be washed in your clothes washer with a good detergent. Pre-soak if you're worried about it.