Poison Oak!

Hello TLMTB families, we want to share some information and protocols for events where we may encounter poison oak.

Poison oak is everywhere in the places we ride in coastal California, so lets do our best to keep our exposure to a minimum.

Poison oak contains an oil called urushiol that most humans are allergic to. Urushiol is in the plants leaves,roots,and branches. It’s important to think about it as an oil because that helps us clean it off and deal with it.

When we do trail work and drop our tools in poison oak, or when we drop our bikes off the side of the trail into those bushes, or when we step off the trail and step through some of these plants, some of that oil attaches itself to whatever touches it.

Rule One - always wear gloves and keep the gloves separate from other clothing and yourself. If you regard the gloves as contaminated with oil, you will be ahead of the game.

Rule Two- always wipe off or clean your hands before touching your face or any other part of your body.

Rule Three- wash your clothes separately . A smart thing to do is simply change out of your clothing that may have gotten contaminated, clean up a bit, put the clothes into a trash bag and then wash them without any other clothing in hot wash with a detergent. The detergent is the key to release the oil from the clothing.

Rule Four- wash with a detergent soap. Remember the oil or grease concept! Here is a great video on how to do this.

There are lots of good products out there to clean up with. I personally clean up with Dawn dish soap, then if I am at home I clean up again with Tecnu, then take a shower. My trailwork boots and gloves live in a bag.

LEts follow these steps and keep that pesky rash at bay this season!