This sounds like a very good habit to begin, especially where tools are used in many different areas and are being shared among different volunteers! Donna Russ Hapke wrote: > Hi all, > > Been reading the posts concerning the poison ivy and poison oak causes and cures...thought I might add one more cure in there. > > We noticed, after being in the field, that when we worked in areas with high concentrations of poison ivy and poison 'what-ever-else' that obviously we would catch it. Everyone would scrub up and the stuff would clear up after a week or so. We also found that several people would continue catching poison ivy weeks after we were out of areas that contained any of the plants and found that the oils in the ivy will stay on tools, especially wood, weeks to months after using them in the original areas with poison ivy. > > For us, the best cure was using Fels-naptha, a type of soap heavy in lye and used in olden days for clothing (I believe socks and stains mostly). It dries out the skin, but it sure clears up the area quickly; and, you just have to make sure to use some kind of skin moisturizer on the second day or you skin will itch a lot more. We also made sure that our equipment was washed with the same type of soap, or with the bleach water like some mentioned in previous e-mails, to help clear up any future outbreaks. > > Russ in LaPorte > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > Cemetery: (n) A marble orchard not to be taken for granite.

Have any of you tried "Ivy Block" as a preventative? See: http://www.ivyblock.com/ We gave out samples at the cemetery restoration workshop we did down here in Clark Co. a couple of years ago. Webpage says "Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac protectant that contains the active ingredient bentoquatam. When applied prior to exposure, IvyBlock will actually protect the skin against the contraction of the rashes associated with Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac." Lois