The husband has a nasty poison ivy rash all over his body. He’s all freaked out about it and he’s hiding down in Brooklyn until I get the situation under control in our Beacon backyard. I guess I’m not as sensitive to it as I didn’t break out. So I got stuck with the dirty work.

I spent a large part of the day yesterday dealing with this while I should have been working. I pulled up the leaves (more on that in a sec), washed the dogs and all the bedding. I drew the line at washing all six cats by myself.

Last year I went out there with long pants and a pair of gloves and just pulled the bastards up. I thought I’d take more precautions this time, so I researched it a bit.

Here are a few handy tips:

The leaves have different variations, making them more difficult to identify. They can be short growth or long vines. Always three though!

The roots have the highest concentration of the poison. You should dig down and make sure to get it all. I couldn’t be bothered, so mine will be back next year. Or later this season.

Make sure to carefully clean your gloves, shoes and clothes afterward. I just used old painting clothes that were ready for the trash and threw them out.

Wait to use soap and water until after cleansing with vinegar or rubbing alcohol first. Oops.

Don’t rip out the vines as this can release the toxins. Use a pruner.

Never compost or burn poison ivy! The smoke can cause damage to your lungs. In fact, wearing a mask is recommended while removing the leaves, but I thought that was overkill. That and the goggles.

Spray herbicide on the batch (oops) and throw in trash.

Ok, I was fine until I wrote this. Now I’m feeling itchy.

PoisonIvy.org Check out the skin rash hall of fame. You won’t be sorry!

PoisonIvy.aesir.com