How to Get Rid of Poison Ivy Plants Safely

If you’ve been wondering how to get rid of poison ivy without developing an itchy poison ivy rash, you’re in the right place. Roughly two out of every three people are sensitive to the chemical compound called urushiol which is found in poison ivy. If you’re one of them, you’re probably used to giving poison ivy a wide berth. But what if it finds its way into your garden beds or it’s growing too close to high-traffic areas where you and your family regularly walk? By taking the right precautions in advance, you can safely remove poison ivy plants—without harming your family, pets, or area wildlife.

What does poison ivy look like? — Poison ivy has compound leaves that consist of three leaflets. The new growth is glossy and often tinted red. This plant is coming up in one of my daylily plants, likely thanks to a bird who pooped out a seed.

Identifying poison ivy plants

Before learning how to get rid of poison ivy, you should be able to identify this troublemaker year-round. You’ve probably heard the poison ivy-related rhyme, “Leaves of three? Let it be!” Featuring compound leaves, poison ivy plants are made up of multiple groups of three leaflets. Some poison ivy leaves—usually those growing on the outer edges of a leaflet trio—appear to have mitten-like thumbs.

SPRING—Poison ivy leaves may be very small, orangish-red, and shiny. They also produce delicate white flowers now.
SUMMER—Plant leaves loose some of their shine, growing large and green. Poison ivy develops white berries by late summer.
FALL—Poison ivy leaves turn bright red.
WINTER—The leaves drop off, sometimes leaving hairy stems and vines behind.

Plants that cause a rash. — The beautiful red fall color of poison ivy might be lovely to look at, but don’t touch!

Are poison ivy plants becoming more common?

How to get rid of poison ivy is increasingly top of mind for many of us because poison ivy has become much more prevalent. In the coming decades, carbon dioxide levels are expected to continue to increase in our atmosphere, and researchers have shown that even small increases in CO2 are giving poison ivy a boost.

As the authors of a 2007 Weed Science study explain, “Increasing CO2 resulted in significant increases in [poison ivy] leaf area, leaf and stem weight, and rhizome length.” The extra CO2 also helps poison ivy plants bounce back faster after foraging creatures nibble plant leaves.

They conclude, “[Poison ivy’s] rate of spread, its ability to recover from herbivory, and its production of urushiol, may be enhanced in a future, higher CO2 environment.”

How to identify poison ivy plants — Can you spy all the poison ivy plants in the top photo? Learning to properly ID this itch-inducing plant can save you a lot of trouble.

Can you get poison ivy if there are no leaves on the plant?

Unfortunately, yes. That’s why, when thinking about how to get rid of poison ivy, your very first concern should be minimizing your risk of exposure to every part of the plant. From its leaves and stems to its roots and berries, poison ivy contains urushiol, a chemical compound which quickly binds to skin causing a cascade of ill effects. And, worse still, that chemical compound persists in dead, dried-up poison ivy remnants, too.

In fact, you can develop a poison ivy rash without making direct contact with poison ivy plants yourself. For instance, if you pet your dog or cat after it has passed through some poison ivy foliage, the associated urushiol can be transferred to you from your pet’s fur. Similarly, touching urushiol-contaminated clothing or objects with your bare hands is all it takes to get the itch started.

Incidentally, you may have heard that the poison ivy rash spreads when the rash’s blisters break. Not so, according to Donald G. Crosby. The author of The Poisoned Weed: Plants Toxic to Skin writes, “Contrary to popular myth, serum from the blisters is sterile and not allergenic.” (At least that’s one piece of good news for poison ivy sufferers!)

Climbing vines to avoid — Poison ivy is a good climber, clinging to trees and fences with its aerial roots. Remember that even when no leaves are on the plant in winter, you can still pick up the oils from the bare stems and vines.

Protecting yourself before taking action

When considering how to get rid of poison ivy, safety is paramount. Urushiol is so potent that it only takes about one-billionth of a gram of the stuff to cause a rash.

To help limit your direct urushiol exposure, wear a hat, goggles or face shield, long pants, and a shirt with long sleeves. You should also wear sturdy shoes and socks that completely cover your ankles.

To protect your hands, apply a product like Ivy Block and then top with a heavy pair of chemical-resistant gloves. Just be sure to avoid surgical-style (latex) rubber gloves. “Thin rubber (latex) gloves actually dissolve. . . urushiols and conduct them directly to the skin beneath,” Crosby notes. “Moderately heavy plastic gloves. . . are better and can be rinsed with dilute bleach before removing them.”

Safely removing poison ivy plants

Figuring out how to get rid of poison ivy becomes more urgent if it’s growing in a high-traffic area. The next sections include tried-and-true methods for removing—and discarding—poison ivy plants. But, first, here are some general best practices to follow no matter which methods you try:

Be deliberate—Keep your hands away from your face and eyes. Be vigilant about absent-mindedly wiping the sweat off of your brow or scratching an itch as you work.
Act fast—If your skin contacts poison ivy, stop work and thoroughly wash the area with poison ivy soap and warm water. I also like to follow up by washing with a dishwashing soap, such as Dawn, because it helps to breakdown the oils in urushiol.
Clean up—When work is finished, carefully remove and wash your clothes (and shoelaces!) with bleach and detergent. You should also clean urushiol-contaminated tools with a diluted bleach solution.

How to get rid of poison ivy plants: dos and don’ts

Here are some essential poison ivy disposal dos and don’ts:

DO—You can always seal any poison ivy you remove inside trash bags and throw them away.

DO—You can bury your poison ivy plant material in a very deep hole in the ground.

DON’T—You should not try to compost the poison ivy you’ve removed.

DON’T—You should never burn poison ivy plant material. (Inhaling the resulting urushiol-containing smoke can be deadly.)

How to get rid of poison ivy plants — I have a dedicated “poison ivy shovel” that is used only for digging up the plants. I don’t use it for any other jobs to avoid accidentally coming in contact with the urushiol.

1. How to get rid of poison ivy by hand

If you have just a few, very young poison ivy seedlings, you should be able to hand-pull or hand-dig these. Take care to remove the entire plant root system. (Otherwise, it will bounce back.)

I use a large, 2 mil industrial garbage bag, put my arm fully inside of it, and pull the open end up to my shoulder. Then I pull or pick up the poison ivy with the bagged hand in the same way you’d pick up a pile of poop from your dog. Then, with your free hand, grab the bag’s opening (which should be up at your shoulder) and flip the bag inside out, trapping the poison ivy inside without touching it (again, just like dog poop). Tie the bag closed and disposed of it in the garbage. Normally, I avoid single-use plastic as much as possible in the garden, but poison ivy is a definite exception.

How to get rid of poison ivy safely — Here are the steps for safely removing poison ivy by hand.

Alternatively, you can spray small poison ivy plants with a smothering solution first and then hand-pull or hand-dig the plants once they’ve begun to wilt. To make the solution, add one Tablespoon of dish soap and one Tablespoon of white vinegar to a gallon of water. Mix well and transfer to a spray bottle. This concoction will not kill poison ivy; it will only knock it back enough for it to be easier for you to remove by hand.

2. How to get rid of poison ivy by top cutting

The top-cutting method is especially handy for large poison ivy vines and shrubs. Using garden pruners or shears, sever vines or large poison ivy shrub stems as close to their points of origination as possible. Remove and dispose of any plant material that you’ve freed up. Next, use a paint brush to paint the freshly cut “stump” of each of the remaining poison ivy plant stems with herbicide. I use a small paintbrush for the job (again, it’s my designated “poison ivy brush” and I don’t use it for anything else).

(The chemical herbicides Glyphosate and Triclopyr are effective for poison ivy control, especially when painting it onto the cut stem surface. Just be sure to follow label directions to the letter. Poison ivy control is the only reason I will use these products in my own garden, and I only use them as a targeted paint, never as a spray.)

Painting the herbicide directly onto each plant stem should kill the poison ivy plant—roots and all—but you may need to check back periodically and reapply.

3. How to get rid of poison ivy—3 ‘hands-off’ methods

Heavy mulch—Layer cardboard over the problem area and then mulch with several inches of organic matter. Without access to water and light, the poison ivy will die back, and, as the cardboard and organic materials break down, your soil will improve.
Rent some goats—Have tons of poison ivy? Reach out to an organization like Goats on the Go to find local goats for rent. (They’ll gladly devour your poison ivy—along with many other plants—with no ill effects.)
Do nothing—If you have a small amount of poison ivy in an out-of-the-way place, you could choose to leave it alone since the plant provides food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. If you go this route, put up some poison ivy warning signage to caution others.

What to do if you have a poison ivy rash

So, let’s say you choose the best method for how to get rid of poison ivy around your place and you take every precaution while working, but you still get poison ivy. What now? What begins with redness and itching can develop into a miserable rash several days later. The result of an allergic reaction, fluid-filled blisters form. These may burst on their own. Eventually, they’ll dry up and disappear.

Now, as difficult as it is, you should resist the urge to scratch at your rash. Scratching the affected areas can introduce bacteria from under your fingernails which can lead to infection. (You may already have an infection requiring a doctor’s attention if your blisters are filled with pus or if they form soft yellow scabs.)

Although poison ivy rashes are the result of an allergic reaction, taking oral antihistamines like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) won’t do much to stop the itching, but here are some poison ivy treatments that can help:

Topical creams—Soothe itching by applying an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion. (Prefer home remedies? Try a baking soda or colloidal oatmeal paste instead.)
Wet compresses—Reduce swelling and itching by gently placing a cool compress over the rash. Simply dip a clean washcloth in cold water, wring out, and apply.
Astringent agents—Help dry up blisters with astringents like Domeboro Medicated Soak.
Prescription medications—For serious cases, your doctor may administer a cortisone shot or prescribe an oral steroid like prednisone.

Other poisonous plants to watch out for

A member of the cashew family, poison ivy isn’t the only plant that wreaks dermatological havoc. Its relatives poison oak and poison sumac are similarly toxic. So are carrot family members wild parsnip and giant hogweed, as well as many plants in the spurge, mustard, onion, and daisy families.

Plants that cause rashes and dermatitis — Keep a careful eye out for poison ivy in your garden and try to remove the plants while they are still young. The job is much easier!

Rash decisions

Now that you know how to identify poison ivy year-round, how to get rid of poison ivy, and how to protect yourself in the process, maybe you can finally toss that bottle of sticky pink lotion. (Or at least push it to the back of your medicine cabinet.) Remember to look for poison ivy’s trio of leaflets—some sporting miniature “thumbs.” Recall, too, that even tiny seedlings pack enough urushiol to make skin itch and blister for a couple of weeks. Nevertheless, if you cover up and use best practices, you can safely eliminate the poison ivy in your landscape.

Need extra poison ivy ID help? Check out A Field Guide to Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac.

For more info about managing garden weeds, check out these articles:

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