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I react very....VERY poorly to poison ivy, oak, sumac. Like go to the doctor and get a Z-Pack type bad so I tend to be pretty aggressive when it comes to cleaning things up that have potentially contacted any of the oils.
If you have access to hot running water then Dawn dish soap and a washcloth is close to 100% effective in removing the oils from your skin.
The washcloth is needed for actually scrubbing and getting the oils off of your skin.
Tecnu works if you have limited access to water but Dawn is still better.
For getting the urshinol off of clothing and other fabrics just about any laundry detergent will work. The urshinol is just a plant based oil. It is not terribly difficult to remove from clothing via regular washing methods. When I have clothing that I know or suspect has been exposed I typically launder in our regular washing machine using hot water and about 50% extra detergent. Never had an issue.
For your sleeping bag, I would follow the manufacturers recommendations on washing although the laundromat is a good idea for the larger capacity washers. Most home machines are not really big enough to get a good wash and rinse on something as bulky as a sleeping bag.
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Quote History Quoted:
I react very....VERY poorly to poison ivy, oak, sumac. Like go to the doctor and get a Z-Pack type bad so I tend to be pretty aggressive when it comes to cleaning things up that have potentially contacted any of the oils.
If you have access to hot running water then Dawn dish soap and a washcloth is close to 100% effective in removing the oils from your skin.
The washcloth is needed for actually scrubbing and getting the oils off of your skin.
Tecnu works if you have limited access to water but Dawn is still better.
For getting the urshinol off of clothing and other fabrics just about any laundry detergent will work. The urshinol is just a plant based oil. It is not terribly difficult to remove from clothing via regular washing methods. When I have clothing that I know or suspect has been exposed I typically launder in our regular washing machine using hot water and about 50% extra detergent. Never had an issue.
For your sleeping bag, I would follow the manufacturers recommendations on washing although the laundromat is a good idea for the larger capacity washers. Most home machines are not really big enough to get a good wash and rinse on something as bulky as a sleeping bag.
All of this is good advice except for the part about washing yourself with hot water- hot water opens your pores. Start with cold water and your choice of soap, then you can use hot water but you want to get as much of the oil off as you can before you open those pores up (sounds like a beauty commercial or something
). I keep a small bottle of Camp Suds or Dr. Bronner's in my truck since they rinse easily and are biodegradable. If I think I may have rubbed a plant while hiking or mountain biking I'll wash off as soon as I get back to my truck. Confession, my truck is like a Swiss Army knife (or maybe a junk drawer) with a lot of camping stuff left in it. I also keep a Simple Shower (
https://www.simple-shower.com/) in the truck; it screws onto a water bottle for a quick rinse. No relation to the company, just an early buyer who likes the product.
I've used Tecnu before but honestly, I didn't find it to be any more effective than cheaper soap. They used to make a pre-exposure lotion that you rubbed on like sunscreen but I guess they dropped it; I tried a bottle of it but have no idea if it really helped- I probably sweated it all off anyways.
From the Tecnu website.
If you know, or think you have been, exposed to poison ivy plants (or poison oak and sumac) apply Tecnu Original to dry skin, rub vigorously for two minutes, then rinse with cool or tepid water. Although it is a soap, it can also be used without water. If you do not have access to water, you can remove Tecnu Original by wiping it off with a cloth.
https://www.teclabsinc.com/products/poison-oak-ivy/tecnu