Poison Oak Cleaning

Getting poison oak (or ivy and sumac) on the skin causes a lot of itching and discomfort. When attempts to prevent touching the leafy nuisance don't work, cleaning the poison off and keeping the affected areas clean are the most important things to do. These steps will prevent the spread of the itchy rash.

Cleaning Skin

• Wash the areas affected by poison oak immediately with cold water and an anti-bacterial soap. Doing this as soon as possible can keep the poison (urushiol) from seeping further into the skin. The quicker the area is cleaned, the less severe the rash will be.

  Do not use hot water to wash the poison from the skin. The hot water will open the pores and the poison can seep further in.

Cleaning Clothes

• Make sure to also thoroughly wash all clothes, including gloves, that may have come into contact with poison oak. If using a washing machine, make sure to keep the affected clothing away from other clothes.

  According to the Princeton University Health Services web site (see reference), unwashed clothing or gloves contaminated with urushiol can remain toxic for up to 5 years.

Skin Soothers

• After the immediate cleaning of the poison oak from your skin, you'll also likely need to follow up with some skin-soothing treatments. You can try these:

  Pour baking soda into a warm bath. Soak in the water for 30 minutes.

  Put ice on the affected areas to help sooth the itching once out of the bath.

  Cover the affected areas with Calamine lotion.

  If the itching is very severe, an anti-histamine pill will help.