Rope cleaner

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Used a bull rope for a take down and had some poison ivy in the tree. I'm sure the rope made contact. Any suggestions for cleaning? The rope is double braided 3/4".

While stationed at Camp Lejeune,NC in the Marines we would wash rapelling ropes inside of a mesh laundry bag in the washer with reg detergent. Works great and rope will not get tangled around impeller!

 

[geofore]

before ivy

Have any of you that are allergic to ivy tried to spray yourself with a spray on bandaid before you handle the ivy? Spray the exposed body parts and let dry a miniute before you handle the ivy. I, myself, am not allergic to the ivy so I don't worry about it.

 

[treemandan]

Have any of you that are allergic to ivy tried to spray yourself with a spray on bandaid before you handle the ivy? Spray the exposed body parts and let dry a miniute before you handle the ivy. I, myself, am not allergic to the ivy so I don't worry about it.

I hate you, oh how I do. You will never know the horror and agony. Uhm, best thing is not to have exposed body parts around ivy. Some people get it by breathing it in though I am told.

 

[Bermie]

I think the key is that she said he was using it to clean AFTER blistering. If he had any open wounds, he could have taken in too much chlorine directly into his blood through the wounds. Chlorine does nasty stuff when in excess...

Yep, that's right...poor bugger looked like a bad accident, we'd been clearing out behind the house, winter, so the PI has no leaves, he must have pulled a vine down across his face, he had it on his face, hands, legs, torso....spreading...
In desperation to try and dry it up, he tried the clorox treatment, it stopped spreading but the clorox got in his bloodstream and he started feeling REAL nasty, stopped that foolishness really quick!

This was before we discoverd Tecnu, now even at the HINT that he's been near it we scrub down with it, or if the blisters start, clean 'em with Tecnu and they don't spread...and have never had a repeat of the awful blister boy...

Did I say Tecnu works? Tecnu WORKS!

 

[pdqdl]

I don't think you read my post's carefully

Bleach destroys the active agent of the poison ivy. So far as I am able to determine, it has no more destructive effect on the rope than it does on your laundry.

Splash it onto hands, arms, other NON-SENSITIVE AREAS to remove the allergens. I do it all the time, and yes, you smell like laundry bleach for about an hour. If you put it on open sores, it will be painful, and might incline some folks to not feel well. That slick feeling on your hands from a dose of straight bleach is the keratin proteins in your skin denaturing into something else. No biggie, since we lose layers of skin constantly. Put it on mucous membranes with no epithelial layer (rash, open blister): different story altogether

I can string trim poison ivy wearing shorts and not get it; although I transfer the urushiol to my wife with a touch. Cuts way down on certain activities if you don't take care of business.

Tecnu is labeled for that sort of thing, and I advise the inexperienced or sensitive to bleach to give it a try. Costs a lot more than bleach, though.

Rhus tox pills: buy some, try it out. Some of my guys swear by it. Several have converted from highly allergic to no problem with poison ivy.

 

[geofore]

allergy

I know what you mean about some folks get just it by breathing it. My sister-in-law is one of those folks she gets it all the time, can't be outside when the grass is being cut.

 

[treemandan]

Bleach destroys the active agent of the poison ivy. So far as I am able to determine, it has no more destructive effect on the rope than it does on your laundry.

Splash it onto hands, arms, other NON-SENSITIVE AREAS to remove the allergens. I do it all the time, and yes, you smell like laundry bleach for about an hour. If you put it on open sores, it will be painful, and might incline some folks to not feel well. That slick feeling on your hands from a dose of straight bleach is the keratin proteins in your skin denaturing into something else. No biggie, since we lose layers of skin constantly. Put it on mucous membranes with no epithelial layer (rash, open blister): different story altogether

I can string trim poison ivy wearing shorts and not get it; although I transfer the urushiol to my wife with a touch. Cuts way down on certain activities if you don't take care of business.

Tecnu is labeled for that sort of thing, and I advise the inexperienced or sensitive to bleach to give it a try. Costs a lot more than bleach, though.

Rhus tox pills: buy some, try it out. Some of my guys swear by it. Several have converted from highly allergic to no problem with poison ivy.

I don't know who to believe on this, you or all the warnings listed on the label of Clorox. But I tell this: drink a teaspoon a 87 octane a day and you will live to be one hundred.Thing is on your 100th birthday you drop dead.

 

[capetrees]

Having been in the stuff ass deep always, I am always able to spot ivy a mile away. The trick is to not break the leaves or the branches. There is no "oil" on the outer edges. The leaves shine like a rhodie does. The poison is inside, winter and summer. Walk through a patch of ivy shoulder high some time and tell me you won't get the heebyjeebies! But continue in one direction and you won't get the itch. Go back the same way, through the broken leaves and branches and your a deadman! Trick to removing it is to use a lot of soap, dish detergent is best but any will do in that soap cuts oils and grease. Wash it in warm to hot water to actually open the pores and get the oilds out of your skin. Wash at least twice and that menas all exposed skin. Then, in the same washing, soap up and rinse in cold water to close the pores again and let you arms air dry. Works for me everytime. Very little rash, maybe between the fingers and a small patch here or there. And don't think gloves will help. They just collect the oils for next time. As for the rope, run a rag soaked with bleach over it to breakdown the oils. Maybe even drag it through some wet grass. It will disipate over time.

 

[pdqdl]

Walk through a patch of ivy shoulder high some time and tell me you won't get the heebyjeebies!

Ok! I don't. No heebyjeebies for me.

I routinely pull the stuff up barehanded. Once cut/ripped out, rake into a pile and throw onto a truck. Strim trim: juice splatters everywhere. No protection needed, as I am not allergic to it at all.

I have given it to my wife several times, however. You can imagine how well that went over. So far, she refuses to take the Rhus Tox, so no relief in sight. I am safe so long as I bleach it away. This is a fix that probably won't work for some people.

I have a lot of experience with employees and problems, though. Some people are so allergic they must go to the hospital if they just brush up against it. In my experience, some people get worse reactions the more they are exposed to it, but most have diminished responses as they are repeatedly exposed. Several of my guys have gotten to the point that they came down with a mildly irritating set of bumps once per year. after that, they were good for the rest of the year.

When Enrique started working for me, he needed steroid shots to reduce the severity of the blisters and rashes. After a couple of years, he was down to just getting a few itchy bumps. Many exposures, and a little Rhus Tox.

By the way: poison ivy leaves are nearly indistinguishable from Box Elder. The critical difference is that leaves are alternate on PI, paired on the Box Elder, which is a variety of maple tree. Don't count on PI being a vine, or having toothed or smooth leaf margins, or being shiny or not: the plant is highly variable. Sometimes woody free standing, sometimes climbing/vining. Leaves on the same plant can be smooth edges, serrated, or heavily indented.

 

[joesawer]

Wash the rope in a mesh laundry bag, in a large front loader with a glass door. If it has a plastic door it is possible for the friction to damage the rope and the door.
The oil can cause a reaction for up to 7 years.
My dad always swore by bleach. I could never tell that it made any difference. Chlorine scars your arteries and I don't need any more of that. Gojo or any other mechanic's hand cleaner works about as good as anything. Gold bond extra strength menthol lotion gives me as much relieve as any thing non-prescription. Calamine lotion just turns it pink. The shots and steroid cream help the most for relief.
I have never tried the pills. If I ever get back into an area with it I will have to try them.

 

[Lawnmowerboy48]

Mix up a paste of salt and water and apply to the rash a couple of times, dries it right out.