A Home Remedy for How to Kill Poison Ivy & Oak

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Things You'll Need

  • Watering can

  • Gloves

  • Shovel

  • Garbage bag

  • Dishwashing soap

  • White vinegar

  • Spray bottle

Rid your garden of poison ivy and poison oak using home remedies and extreme precaution.

Poison ivy and poison oak are not only nuisances in your garden, but also highly irritating if the plant's oil, known as urushiol, comes in contact with your skin or lungs. While herbicides are available to kill the weeds, the toxic chemicals in the products are unsafe for your garden as it kills all vegetation it contacts. The use of natural home remedies for poison ivy and poison oak is safer for your other plants.

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Step 1

Wear gardening gloves and a long-sleeved shirt or jacket to protect your hands and arms from the poison ivy and poison oak.

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Step 2

Wet the soil around the poison ivy and poison oak, and dig the plant out with a shovel. Place the removed plants in a garbage bag.

Step 3

Tie the garbage bag at the top and place it in an outdoor trash bin.

Step 4

Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 tbsp. of dishwashing soap in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with hot water and shake it to mix the ingredients.

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Step 5

Spray the area from which the poison ivy and poison oak were removed to kill remaining traces of the plants. Avoid spraying other plants, as the vinegar will burn them.

Step 6

Wash your gloves and long-sleeved top separately from other clothes with laundry detergent to thoroughly clean the plants' oils from the clothing.

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