Bleach Cures for Poison Ivy

by Contributing Writer

Overview

Poison ivy is a plant with a chemical defense mechanism. The plant releases an oil called urushiol. When touched, the oil causes an itching, weeping and very uncomfortable rash on the parts of the body that make contact. The oil can also be spread by scratching or rubbing the affected area, sweating and through contaminated clothing. Urushiol can be broken down and removed by using household bleach, an oxidizer that destroys the proteins in the oil that cause the symptoms.
The Bleach Solution

Mix one part chlorine bleach with 10 parts clean water. Household bleach is usually 5.25 percent chlorine. This mixture will give you about a 0.5 percent chlorine solution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is the optimal concentration of chlorine to decontaminate skin.

Applying the Bleach Solution

Use a clean piece of gauze or cotton ball to gently apply a generous amount of the bleach solution to the affected area. Do this as quickly after the exposure as possible, ideally within six hours. After about six hours, the body will have released enough histamine that simply washing the oil away will do very little, if anything, to ameliorate the symptoms.
Removing the Bleach Solution

Use copious amounts of soap and water to remove the bleach solution after it has dried. Leaving the solution on the skin may cause irritation and injury allowing residual urushiol to penetrate even deeper into the body. The soap and water will also help remove any remaining oil.
The Potency of Urushiol Oil

It is not uncommon for urushiol oil to remain active for one to five years on almost any surface, and it takes only a billionth of a gram to irritate the skin and cause a rash. Contrary to popular belief, affected areas of the body will not spread to other areas. This happen only if the urushiol oil hasn't been thoroughly washed away and is still present on the body or on the hands.