Tips for Preventing and Treating Poison Ivy

Well, summer time. Beautiful leaves on the trees, beautiful leaves that wind up the trees and the ground and the side of the house that contain a highly allergic oil.

POISON IVY.

So, how do we prevent our kiddos from going and picking up that nasty oil on their clothes, hands, shoes, and bedsheets?

We have some tips for you.

  1. Rinse with lukewarm soapy water

  2. Wash your clothing

  3. Wash everything that may have the oil on it: gardening tools, leashes, pets, etc.

  4. DO NOT SCRATCH

  5. Leave blisters alone (they are protecting the skin)

  6. Take short, lukewarm baths with oatmeal or one cup of baking soda

  7. Apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone (anti-itch) cream

  8. Apply cool compresses to the skin. You can make a cold compress by wetting a wash cloth with cold water and wringing it out so that it does not drip. Then, apply the cloth to the itchy skin.

  9. Learn what poison ivy looks like so you can avoid it altogether.


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