Is it safe to use bleach on poison ivy rashes?

Question

I have poison ivy in a bad place, between my fingers. It is so annoying that I am tempted to do an old fashioned method that supposably always works. I am worried it may hurt me somehow. If you know that it won't what is the best way to apply the bleach?

Answer 1

Bleach to your skin in general is never a good idea. It can really irritate your skin and even in extreme cases make you sick. Especially when you have open wounds (such as what poison ivy rashes often are)
Now with my job I am constantly washing things in bleach. A lot of times I wear gloves. Often I do not. And there have been times that I have even had open wounds on my hand at the time I was working with the bleach. But remember I am also washing my hands with soap and water no more than five-ten minutes later. The most that has ever happened to me is that my skin has become so dry it was breaking out and doing an overnight lotion treatment helped that. Also when I am working with bleach at work it is diluted quite a bit with water. Which bleach is a strong enough chemical that even if you only have one teaspoon and a cup of water I would think it would help your rash.
I have never heard of this for poison ivy so I am not sure if you wash it off etc or what. But this has been my experience with bleach.

As far as other things to try- benedryl gel works well on most things. Also pure aloe. And calamyne lotion. Also try soaking your hands in oatmeal or even an oatmeal cream.
I know you are probably very uncomfortable. Good luck with whatever you decide!!!

Answer 2

Actually I do use bleach on poison ivy. But it is up to where you have it and how much. If you have a lot then go to the doctor and get some cortizone dose paks and it will dry right up. This is very important if it is close to your eyes or had been around for a few days and still spreading. If you just have some blisters on your hands or ankles then takes some bleach on a paper towel and dab it on the area. Wait for 60 seconds then do a thorough wash to remove the bleach. Let me repeat that, wash it off after 30 to 60 seconds! It is very caustic and can give you a serious chemical burn if you leave it on.
It is best to do the treatment before you scratch the blisters open because boy does that burn! Some people are very sensitive to bleach, if that's you skip this treatment. I don't recommend this for small children because their skin is very thin and easily damaged.
Then think carefully about when and where you got exposed. Wash cloths and shoes in a strong detergent that removes oil, maybe add a little Dawn dish soap. The stuff that gives you an allergic reaction is an oil that soaks into you skin and cloths, you can get it again when petting your dog who may have been rolling in it and then climbed in bed with you or just tying your shoes if you walked through it.
Never ever burn a piece of wood with vines clinging to it unless you KNOW that isn't poison ivy or oak, the smoke can carry it into your eyes and breathing passages and becomes very serious!

Note-Sometimes people mistake scabies for poison ivy, if your rash doesn't get better in a few days see a doctor and get the cream for those little burrowing mite buggers. They spread,are highly contagious, easy to pick up in school, and public places so just get the cream. No the bleach won't work on them at all.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Bleach On Poison Ivy

Answer 5

RE:
Is it safe to use bleach on poison ivy rashes?
I have poison ivy in a bad place, between my fingers. It is so annoying that I am tempted to do an old fashioned method that supposably always works. I am worried it may hurt me somehow. If you know that it won't what is the best way to apply the bleach?

Answer 6

After experiencing several outbreaks of poison ivy, I would recommend going to the Doctor. if the "at home" treatment does not help in 2 or 3 days. I scratched a poison ivy site after doing a lot of yard work and got an infection at the site of the outbreak (this was before I realized what I had). The Dr. gave me a steroid shot and a prescription cream called Diprolene AF, along with an an tibiotic cream to treat the infection and I started seeing improvement within 24 hours. The Benedryl was also very helpful in controlling the itch, and there i s an anti itch cream over the counter called "Itch-X" that worked better than an y other OTC product that I tried.

Answer 7

I wouldn't use bleach 'cause it can burn the skin and give you a chemical burn. Run about 5 inches of water in your tub and put a 1/2 a cup of vinegar water in there. If that doesn't take care of the itch, next time, put 1 cup. No more than one cup should go in the water. Afterwards, take a shower to get the smell off of you. No soaps. Just plain water. If you still smell it, the smell, in about 20 mins will go away. You can also do this if you have chicken pox, vaginal itches, jock itch, poison oak, poison ivy, poison sumack, insect bites, shingles, etc... Whatever it is that itches you, it works. It also works great for taking the heat out of sunburns. Also, to soften the skin, take a clean sock, put oatmeal in it, take a shower, get the oatmeal wet, and run it over your skin. This also helps with the smell of vinegar. After the vinegar water hits your rash, it should work instantly.

I hope this helped for your rash and also, future refrences. :)

Answer 8

Bleach is a strong chemical composed mostly of chloride, it is never to be used on your skin as it will harm you more than it will help you, follow advise from your PCP or look in the internet for helpful hints on how to properly treat poison Ivy.

Answer 9

Generally...they're all correct, bleach is not something you wanna rub all over your skin. However, I work in landscaping, and get poison ivy on a fairly regular basis, and have found that if you apply it only to the infected area, it can help, very quickly. I usually fold up a paper towel and soak it, again, only apply it to the blisters themselves.

Answer 10

You should read Laura Jefferson’s book "Skin Whitening At Home" ( I saw it's also available in electronic format +video: http://www.skinwhiteningathome.com ). After 8 weeks I managed to get my skin a few tones whiter and I also got rid of freckles.

The method she teaches in her book is natural, inexpensive, and is readily available in most homes. You could even find some ingredients in your own backyard. The most wonderful thing about the method she shares in her book is that it will help you whiten or lighten your skin pigmentations, freckles, age spots, acne marks, dark underarms, melasma, or your overall skin color easily and naturally without breaking your bank or producing dangerous side effects. Good Luck!