WASHINGTON 鈥� Poison ivy is beginning to show up in the D.C. area, and you鈥檒l want to get rid of it to avoid nasty rashes.
Some people attack poison ivy with herbicides, but 海角精品黑料 Garden Editor Mike McGrath says that鈥檚 likely not the best idea.
“That is one of the huge misunderstandings about poison ivy,鈥� McGrath said. 鈥淵ou can spray it with until it鈥檚 brown and dead and has little x’s over its eyes,” but that doesn’t neutralize the oils that cause allergic reactions.
“You might not recognize it anymore and you might pull it up with your bare hands,” McGrath adds.
Instead, he suggests聽wrapping supermarket plastic bags around your arms before handling the plant.
鈥淓verything you鈥檝e heard about miracle cures for poison ivy residue is totally bogus,鈥� McGrath said. 鈥淭he only thing that dissolves the oil is cool water,鈥澛�according to dermatologists whom McGrath has spoken with personally.
搁辞耻苍诲耻辫鈥檚 confirms such notions: 鈥淚f you come in contact with poison ivy, wash immediately with plain, cool water (soap can move the oil around on the skin).鈥�
There鈥檚 no need for a washrag and soap to clean poison ivy oil, McGrath said. To be extra careful, you could rinse a washrag with cool water and wipe down any surface you might have touched.
海角精品黑料’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
