My behavior begged for poison ivy irritation. There were several 15 foot vines of PI in a fairly tight area. They were creeping up some big cottonwood trees. I was shirtless, and was bending over to grab and twist the base of the PI stems with a Vice-Grip (smart, eh?)...So my back definitely came in contact with some of the ivy.
What do I do with the vice-grips now? Just wash in soapy water? They've been bouncing around the floor of my truck for a few days now with that oil on them.
I only use chemicals as a last resort, but for poison ivy, chemicals are one of only two ways I know of getting rid of the darn stuff. Ortho makes a very effective product product called Brush-B-Gone. When sprayed on the leaves, it makes its way all the way to the roots, and will kill a pretty large area of poison ivy. The root systems are very extensive and propate if cut. The other effective way to get rid of it is with goats. They love to eat it, and it doesn't affect them.
As for the vice grips, I'd used diposable gloves to get them out of the truck. Then spray them down with a good detergent, or wash them in good soapy COLD water, wipe them off with paper towels, and then lubricate them well.
Ken
