Tip: don't spray poison ivy, just pull it out with your hands (then wash them)

[Flyover]

The poison ivy rash is caused by an invisible, odorless oil that's all over the plant: leaves, stem, roots, etc. When the oil gets on you, your skin reacts with that horrible itchy rash. I had it earlier this summer (apparently I'm not immune to poison ivy any more like I was as a kid) and I NEVER want to experience that again.

I learned that if you scrub your skin -- using Dawn dish soap -- within an hour or so of touching poison ivy, it will wash that oil right off, just like Dawn washes away cooking grease and other oils. Note: you should scrub pretty heavily.

Ever since I learned that, I've been pulling out poison ivy with my bare hands -- making sure to leave one hand "clean" so I can open the door and go inside and turn on the kitchen faucet when I'm done without smearing the oil on anything else. I haven't had a poison ivy rash once since then. And my property is poison ivy-free because I've pulled it all up by the roots.

PS. I think the same applies to poison oak though I'm not 100% sure.

 

[slownsteady]

Sure, that works. And it should work for poison oak too. But why not put on a pair of nitrile (disposable ) gloves? And just like the surgeons do, pull them off from the cuff, turning them inside out as you remove them. If you are expecting it to be too rough for the gloves to handle, put on a pair of work gloves over the nitrile gloves. I have done this several times with good results so far.
But if I run into a mess of poison ivy, I just spray the hell out of it with a brush killer, (not just your standard "weed-b-gon")

 

[Flyover]

That works too, but now you have to buy a box of disposable nitrile gloves and go put on a pair every time you see some poison ivy you want to remove.

Doesn't putting non-disposable work gloves on over the nitrile gloves defeat the purpose, since now your work gloves are covered in poison ivy oil?

Spraying the poison ivy is kinda useless except to keep it from spreading, since you still need to go and remove the dead plants: the oil on them can still cause a rash if you touch it. I wish I hadn't spent $20+ on that gallon of poison ivy spray sitting in my shed.

 

[slownsteady]

Your choice, no problem with that. I have not (yet) caught poison ivy from my leather work gloves. I haven't caught poison ivy yet from petting my dog either. And you're right, I still have to pull the dead plants. But since they're dead, i can leave them until they dry out.
I have woodlands behind my house and the poison ivy is a continuous battle, so if you want to send your jug of spray over here, I will put it to use

PS. My neighbor was an old-timer (before he died) and he used to suggest washing your hands with bleach after touching poison ivy.

 

[havasu]

And make sure you pee before you start pulling the plants.