How to Get Rid of Poison Ivy Without Using Chemicals

The tools you’ll need include bags, gloves, and a tool for digging out the poison ivy.

Poison ivy pops up here and there in my garden throughout summer. It’s an unpleasant discovery while weeding, plus when the cat brushes by it she gets the oil on her fur, which then gets on me. It doesn’t take much for me to break out in a rash, so while I’d prefer to just ignore it, I can’t.

I gardener organically so don’t want to spray herbicides. Not only will they kill everything they touch, it’s not always a permanent fix. Herbicide may kill the top growth, but if the roots go deep enough, the plant will resprout. And once you spray, you still have a dead plant to get rid of.

I was glad to find a way to manually pull poison ivy out by the roots that doesn’t involve spraying. The technique gets the ivy bagged and in the garbage without it touching exposed skin. It takes a little planning and care, but done properly, it’s out for good.

This method is best for small patches of poison ivy, not large, established vines or plants that are growing up into trees.

To start, you’ll need plastic bags. The amount depends on how much poison ivy you need to remove. Count on at least two bags per plant. They should be big enough to fit over your hands and up your forearms, and loose enough to allow you to grasp the plant. You can use supermarket or store bags, but I prefer those long, narrow bags newspapers come in, because they don’t flop around as much. Unfortunately, they are becoming harder and harder to find. Make sure the bags don’t have holes.

You’ll also need a larger trash bag, ideally one that stands open by itself or is on a frame so you won’t need to touch it until you’re finished. You’ll be putting the smaller bags containing the poison ivy into the larger bag.

Wear thick garden gloves. Gauntlets, the long ones used for pruning roses, are ideal. Put on a long-sleeved top that’s easy to remove and can be thrown in the wash. Make sure your arms and wrists are covered. Wear long pants, socks and shoes. Cover any body part that might touch the foliage. Wear eye protection.

Put bags over each hand before handling the plant.

The roots will come out more easily if the soil is wet, so either wait for rain or give the area around the plant a good soaking before getting started.

Go to the first plant. Pull a bag over each hand, so they go up your arms. Keep the rest of your body as far away from the vine as possible.

With one bagged hand, grasp the vine where it emerges from the ground, and work as much of it out of the soil as you can. You may need to use a hand fork or trowel in the other bagged hand to uncover the roots. To minimize the spread of poison ivy oil, always use the same hand – and only that hand – to touch the plant. Reserve the other hand for holding tools. Don’t switch back and forth.

Dig out as much of the root as possible to keep the plant from resprouting.

Dig out as much of the root as possible to keep it from growing back. While you’re working, keep exposed skin from touching the tools or the bags.

Once the plant is completely out of the ground, hold it away from you. Now use the other bagged hand to pull the vine-holding bag off your arm, inside out, so that the act of taking the bag off your arm traps the vine inside the inverted bag.

Pull the bag holding the plant off your arm, inverting the bag so the plant is inside.

Switch the inverted bag to the still-bagged hand. With your now free (gloved) hand, pull the bag down the still-bagged arm so that the poison ivy bag is encased in the second bag. Tie the top of that bag into a knot.

Put the bag into the larger trash bag. Grab two more bags and start on the next vine.

Once you’ve finished, check that all the smaller bags are securely inside the larger trash bag. Make sure you haven’t touched any part of the larger bag with poison ivy, then tie it up. You don’t want to accidently expose yourself – or the sanitation crew – to any residual oils.

Switch the bag with the plant to the opposite bagged hand and invert that bag off your arm, trapping the other bag inside. Tie that bag shut.

Take off the gloves, and wash your hands with soap and cool water. Carefully remove any clothing that might have touched any part of the vine and wash it immediately in hot water and detergent.

While wearing gloves (or plastic bags), use rubbing alcohol to wipe down any surface the ivy might have touched, including tools and shoes. Every part of a poison ivy plant – roots, stems, leaves, flowers, berries – can cause a rash. The oils can remain active on surfaces for as long as five years.

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Therese Ciesinski is an award-winning garden writer and editor.