Further, agitation is necessary to remove the oil from your clothing, and extra clothes will result in less agitation.
Urushiol isn’t very water soluble, so it’ll take lots of water and detergent to get rid of it. In addition, a long wash cycle will help prevent residue from redepositing on your clothing and washing machine’s interior. [3] X Research source
While any laundry detergent should do the trick, a degreaser detergent is the best option. [5] X Research source
Once you’ve transferred the clothes, run the empty washer for one cycle on the hottest setting to ensure you’ve removed any residual oil. Feel free to air dry your clothes if you prefer. The washing machine does the dirty work; a machine dryer doesn’t play any part in getting rid of the oil.
While wearing gloves, apply the product to your clothes when they’re dry. After washing them, run the empty washer on a hot self-cleaning cycle.
You can use a toothbrush to scrub hard to reach places. Just remember to throw out the toothbrush and sponge when you’re finished. To clean shoelaces, remove them and soak them in the cleaning solution, then rinse them under hot water. Check your item’s care instructions and test any cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area before washing the entire item.
Check your product’s label or website to verify it’s safe for leather, and test it on an inconspicuous area first.
Be sure to keep your clothing in a plastic bag, and let your dry cleaner know that the items were exposed to poison ivy.
Throw out your gloves after handling contaminated items, even if they’re rubber kitchen gloves.
Avoid letting contaminated items come into contact with clothes that haven’t been exposed to poison ivy or poison oak.
Rubbing alcohol or diluted bleach can be substituted for dish detergent. It’s best to just throw away sponges, brushes, or other tools you used to wash items by hand.
