actually, if you're that allergic to the poison ivy, you should wear long sleeves and long pant and make sure you have socks/shoes on too - on top of wearing gloves!
the oil and/or sap can be transferred to other
plants that are close by...and you can get it on you from touching the other
plants! you can also get the oils on you from petting your dog or cat after it's been in contact with the ivy.
might be a good idea to keep some clothes specifically for doing the gardening...and always wash them seperately from your regular clothing - that oil is hard to get rid of !!! (and you don't want to contaminate your good stuff)
the poison ivy doesn't bother me at all - thank goodness because it was all through my yard when i moved here...
i DO react to some other things that are here...just a little bit a hives that go away within a day...wearing gloves and/or long sleeves/pants does make a difference!!
to get rid of the poison ivy...if you hubby isn't allergic to it, have him take care of it before you go back out there!!! what i did (and i know some will give me grief for it, but, hey! it worked!!) was i poured some gasoline on it...right on the roots.
i didn't go overboard with it - didn't want to do too much damage to the environment!!
just about an ounce or two...you've got to get it right on the roots. then after about a week, the
plant is dead and can be dug up. don't just pull it...dig it up so you get all the roots - the thing is pretty darn hardy and can (and did, for me) come back.
oh, and just so you know...poison ivy can grow as a vine or a bush and it can send out shoots and rhizomes - so you'll probably still have a problem next year too (like i did). once i did the treatments the second year, that was it...i've not seen it since!
poison ivy facts/fallacy once it's all cleared out this year...go have some fun with all your other mystery
plants!!