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rickb
07-03-2006, 19:15
Having spent several hours over the weekend walking through the thickest poison ivy I have seen in years, I tossed out my long pants and socks when I got back to the car.

My problem is what to do with my hiking sneakers. I don't want to part with them, but I am afraid to put them on again for fear that the oils will get on my hands.

Anybody have any ideas? Let my sneakers bake in the sun? Toss them in my washing machine? Time?

MOWGLI
07-03-2006, 19:50
Anybody have any ideas? Let my sneakers bake in the sun? Toss them in my washing machine? Time?

Wash them in Tecnu - in the machine.

SteveJ
07-03-2006, 20:15
Having spent several hours over the weekend walking through the thickest poison ivy I have seen in years, I tossed out my long pants and socks when I got back to the car.

My problem is what to do with my hiking sneakers. I don't want to part with them, but I am afraid to put them on again for fear that the oils will get on my hands.

Anybody have any ideas? Let my sneakers bake in the sun? Toss them in my washing machine? Time?

Hi, Rick. I've fought the poison ivy battle over the years, and have a little knowledge here.... the 'poison' in the ivy is its oil - urushiol. If you 'bake them in the sun' the oil remains - and will cause problems if you touch and transfer it to your skin. Time doesn't work either - the oil will remain and be available for transfer to skin or other clothes. I'd throw the shoes in the washing machine - a quick google search indicates that many swear by the old fashioned fels naphtha soap:

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=2059

at any rate, if you use any oil cutting soap, they should be fine!

Steve

Just Jeff
07-03-2006, 20:16
Tecnu has worked well for me in the past but I haven't used it on shoes. That's where I'd start, though.

TIDE-HSV
07-03-2006, 22:13
of red covering the Smokies, I decided to run Thomas Divide, down from Newfound Gap, being as there's very little water on the trail. Around 3000', the trail became poison ivy, wall to wall. When I got down to Deep Creek Campground, I took off shoes and socks and washed both thoroughly in GoJo. Urushiol is an oily resin and the GoJo did the job. I still keep a cannister in the trunk when hiking...

the goat
07-03-2006, 23:38
i've hiked thru and worked in the stuff pretty thick, many a time and i always use regular tide detergent (powder) to wash it off my skin; so imagine it'll work the same for your shoes....i know how you feel.

TIDE-HSV
07-04-2006, 00:41
will work. In fact, anything that'll dissolve grease will work. Our standby, on our little 3.5 wooded acres, with a lot of PI, is Dawn, which I'll take into the shower with me. It's just important to dissolve it off as soon as you can...

Ridge
07-04-2006, 02:32
If you don't want to put'em in the washing machine just use a brush, lye soap and a bucket of warm water, that'll clean anything. If you're highly allergic to the oil, use rubber gloves.

Toolshed
07-04-2006, 11:13
If you don't want to put'em in the washing machine just use a brush, lye soap and a bucket of warm water, that'll clean anything. If you're highly allergic to the oil, use rubber gloves.
I'd recommend that you don;pt use Latex Rubber Gloves Urushiol will penetrate latex, easily....