As others have said, I keep a good supply of Technu handy, and I also keep a pack of the disposable nitrile gloves in the garage. Birds drop poison ivy seeds in the garden from time to time. If I ever see it, I put the gloves on, pull the poison ivy, dispose of it AND the gloves in a plastic bag, seal and throw away! If you are going to be working with a plant where there is even a remote chance it is in the roots, wear long pants and sleeves, and immediately after working with it, come inside, carefully strip off the outer clothing after disposing of any possible roots carefully. Wash the clothes and ( I say this because I am very allergic and have learned this lesson the hard way several times!) then rinse off your arms-get your wrists well or any area which could have been possibly exposed, with Technu. I swear by that stuff!! Right now,even with these precautions, I have a couple of places on each arm where a very mild case is almost dried up. W/o the Technu. I would surely have to have gotten steroids from the DR!!
