Poison oak on Organic crash pads.

Hey folks, got a question.

I have a few Organic crash pads.

We went bouldering up around Auburn, CA, a little while ago...and got poison oak all over the OUTER part of the pads.

The part that has the slings attached to it, and made contact with the ground. Not the side we fall into.

Came back with poison oak all over my triceps, back, and sides of my belly.

Sucked!!

So...how do I wash it off?

Just gloves, scrub with soap and water, rinse with garden hose, let dry in sun?

Sound about right?

​​​​Some folks swear by this stuff. It can be used on tools and clothes as well as skin.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004J5NE6Y/ref=pd_aw_sim_121_of_17?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9RP9XVTR1KQZQNQ607CG

The solution will vary based on the brand of the bouldering pad, that much I know for sure.

Cheers

DMT

The offending compound in poison ivy/oak/sumac is urushiol oil that binds tightly to gear, skin, etc. to cause the rash. You can use either Technu as listed in Optimistic's hyperlink or a strong detergent. Combine the technu or detergent with very hot water and be sure to protect yourself by wearing gloves, a Tyvek suit, and goggles if there's a lot of scrubbing going on. Rubbing alcohol also can be used to dissolve the oil resin. Just be sure that you dispose of or wash your cleaning gear appropriately after you're finished washing your pads.

Your best bet is to go to the skin store and get some better skin that is immune to poison ivy and poison oak. Anything else doesn't really solve the problem and is just putting a metaphorical band-aid over it. 

eli poss wrote: Your best bet is to go to the skin store and get some better skin that is immune to poison ivy and poison oak. Anything else doesn't really solve the problem and is just putting a metaphorical band-aid over it. 

Yeah, but synthetic skin is aid.

Organic pads can have their padding stripped out right? Tecnu in a commercial laundry machine, no scrubbing.

YGD. Definitely.

Can I just slowly nibble on leaves until I’ve built an immunity?

I use simple green to remove poison oak from my gear. Whatever you use I would test it on the fabric and on the foam. If you can pull the cover off that would be the best way to go. I would worry about the cover shrinking if you washed it in hot water. You can presoak the cover in diluted simple green overnight then wash it in a machine with cold water and simple green.

The urushiol will stick around forever unless you clean it properly.

I’m pretty sure I’m immune. I’ve trampled through and been ok. From what I’ve heard, immunity doesn’t always last. But for those like myself, you still need to be cautious. I must’ve got it on a couch pillow and my girlfriend was not too pleased with the rash on her face. 

All the advice in this thread is terrible. You cannot wash it off. I will arrange pickup and dispose of it properly. 

Joe Garibay wrote: I’m pretty sure I’m immune. I’ve trampled through and been ok. From what I’ve heard, immunity doesn’t always last. But for those like myself, you still need to be cautious. I must’ve got it on a couch pillow and my girlfriend was not too pleased with the rash on her face. 

Most people are born immune, then each exposure they become more sensitive. Some people never do develop sensitivity. I used to be immune, goofed around with the stuff as a kid all the time, then one day woke up with a rash all over my body. Ever since I have to be careful because I get it easily.

So enjoy your immunity, but be careful and minimize your contact to make it last longer!

I received an email from John Helke of Organic Crash Pads.

He recommended I use “Fells Naptha Soap”. (Which is what he uses).

Seems that both, Technu and Fells Naptha, have come up in my poison oak removal search.

I’ll try the Fells Naptha first. (Cheaper, and recommended by Organic themselves). Then go the Technu route if the results are not what I expected.

Bill Shubert wrote:

Most people are born immune, then each exposure they become more sensitive. Some people never do develop sensitivity. I used to be immune, goofed around with the stuff as a kid all the time, then one day woke up with a rash all over my body. Ever since I have to be careful because I get it easily.

So enjoy your immunity, but be careful and minimize your contact to make it last longer!

I'm allergic to poison oak....but immune to poison ivy. Never knew that immunity could wear off, but avoided it anyways to not get it on my clothes, dog, whatever and infect other people. Good info! 

Ryan SD wrote:

I'm allergic to poison oak....but immune to poison ivy. Never knew that immunity could wear off, but avoided it anyways to not get it on my clothes, dog, whatever and infect other people. Good info! 

People are not "born immune" to urushiol. The reactions to urushiol in poison oak, ivy, and sumac are caused by a cellular immune immunity (CMI). If you've never been exposed to urushiol before, the CMI may not be "primed" to respond to the first exposure. However, subsequent exposures to urushiol cause a heightened response by the CMI. The urushiol in poison oak, ivy, and sumac are the same so you are more than likely not "immune" to poison ivy. The only way to confirm that is to re-expose yourself to poison ivy.

wing thing wrote:

People are not "born immune" to urushiol. The reactions to urushiol in poison oak, ivy, and sumac are caused by a cellular immune immunity (CMI). If you've never been exposed to urushiol before, the CMI may not be "primed" to respond to the first exposure. However, subsequent exposures to urushiol cause a heightened response by the CMI.

To me, your first sentence and the rest of your statement conflict. Sure, may it's not technically immunity, but saying that you may not get a reaction on the first contact, but that subsequent exposures will "cause a heightened response," sounds to me like you are (or may be) born immune but you become more sensitive with each exposure. Which is exactly what you said was wrong.

Bill Shubert wrote:

To me, your first sentence and the rest of your statement conflict. Sure, may it's not technically immunity, but saying that you may not get a reaction on the first contact, but that subsequent exposures will "cause a heightened response," sounds to me like you are (or may be) born immune but you become more sensitive with each exposure. Which is exactly what you said was wrong.

To confer immunity, you have to be exposed to the antigen (urushiol) to elicit a response. The itching and blisters that occurs with urushiol exposure is a consequence of cellular mediated immunity attacking the ursushiol and NOT humoral immunity. If you've never been exposed to the antigen before, you are less likely to have a response on first exposure. After the first exposure, your T-cells develop a memory so that any further exposure causes the damage. Because the immune response by the T-cells against the oil causes the damage, you can not vaccinate against the urushiol oil to prevent the itching and blisters. This is different than vaccinating a patient to stimulate the formation of antibodies to prevent the reaction. 

Raymond Moreno wrote: I received an email from John Helke of Organic Crash Pads.

He recommended I use “Fells Naptha Soap”. (Which is what he uses).

Seems that both, Technu and Fells Naptha, have come up in my poison oak removal search.

I’ll try the Fells Naptha first. (Cheaper, and recommended by Organic themselves). Then go the Technu route if the results are not what I expected.

Thanks again, Folks!!. 

Raymond Moreno wrote: I received an email from John Helke of Organic Crash Pads.

He recommended I use “Fells Naptha Soap”. (Which is what he uses).

Seems that both, Technu and Fells Naptha, have come up in my poison oak removal search.

I’ll try the Fells Naptha first. (Cheaper, and recommended by Organic themselves). Then go the Technu route if the results are not what I expected.

Thanks again, Folks!!. 

its an inexpensive bar soap that i typically find at Wal Mart.  Octogon is another brand i've heard referred to for this purpose

wing thing wrote:

To confer immunity, you have to be exposed to the antigen (urushiol) to elicit a response. The itching and blisters that occurs with urushiol exposure is a consequence of cellular mediated immunity attacking the ursushiol and NOT humoral immunity. If you've never been exposed to the antigen before, you are less likely to have a response on first exposure. After the first exposure, your T-cells develop a memory so that any further exposure causes the damage. Because the immune response by the T-cells against the oil causes the damage, you can not vaccinate against the urushiol oil to prevent the itching and blisters. This is different than vaccinating a patient to stimulate the formation of antibodies to prevent the reaction. 

This reminds me of another plant who’s reactions occur in a similar manner. Cannabis. The first time I tried it, I took a joint, pipe, bong and nothing happened that night. The next attempt and bingo. I know they are pretty different chemicals but it would make sense that more than one type of species would cause similar actions.