Hi John -
I should be knocking on wood here (my desk is plastic so that won't work) but I haven't broken out this year and neither has my husband and we're both very allergic*. I've pulled up at least a dozen plants, touched young plants (in the name of getting pictures for this site), and had other close encounters (like my dog). My husband does the mower, trimmer, and other "heavier" yard maintenance including maintaining a nearby field that is full of everything imaginable including lots of poison ivy. I feel at this point like Obi-Wan... I'm in some sort of state about poison ivy. I no longer fear it and have even taught my 4 year old to recognize the plant.
The secret? Control of plants where I can, quick and positive identification (early on if possible), good tools and techniques including PVC coated gloves, and solid clean-up routines. I'm comfortable with my daughter rooting around the yard as I've got under control any areas she's likely to play in. More inaccessible areas I don't do as much work in to control the poison ivy - just not enough time in a day (we back onto unmanaged parkland - always some pi there).
I've never used IvyBlock but have friends who have. Generally good reviews on the product - it contains an organoclay that prevents the urushiol oil from penetrating the skin. Apparently in a pinch you can use a spray deodorant as they contain organoclays as well. Here's a nice reference with some tips on how to keep urusiol oil from getting to your skin and what to do if you do break out in a rash: Vanderbilt University Wellness Program.
When I know I'm going to be pulling poison ivy or even suspect I'll be pulling it, I do some prep work before I start the work. First, I put on the long clothes - long sleeve shirt, long pants, thick socks, workboots or outdoor shoes, and a hat to keep my hair away. Thin clothing doesn't do much to keep the oil from penetrating the fabric and reaching the skin. I have a set of "outdoor" clothes which are thick (jeans, tightweave shirt) and that I use only for this type of work or for doing heavy maintenance outdoors.
Second - I pull out my trusty long, PVC-coated gloves. These gloves go up to the elbow and are coated with a material urushiol oil cannot penetrate. You lose fine motor coordination using this things (you'd never be able to pick up a dime!) BUT you can certainly pull plants, dig up roots, etc with ease. My husband bought the gloves so its probably sized for him. Anyway - the point of the coated gloves is to 1) prevent the urushiol oil from penetrating the material 2) withstand abuse and not break (ie thorns, other sharp items) and 3) be easy to clean up with confidence. I've used leather gardening gloves but ended up with rashes at the point where the gloves stop (inside wrist, forearm, etc) and am never comfortable with the cleanup. The coated gloves I don't worry about as cleanup is a breeze - nothing penetrates the material and it cleans up in soap and water.
Next I plan an attack and continue the prep accordingly. If I know I'm going to be just pulling I determine if I'll need tools and generally stick to one good hand trowel. Then I get out the garden hose and turn it on (water off at the nozzle), fill a large bucket with lots of dish detergent (I like Dawn) and water, and pull out thick outdoor garbage bags. I don't want the plants around after I pull them and I don't want anyone else to deal with the plants.
Then I pull, dig, pull, dig, and place the plants and roots (if possible) in the trashbag. It helps to have opened the bag up first and lay it out so that you can limit the amount of contact with the outside of the bag. Here's the tricky part - don't scratch your nose. I kid you not - my nose ALWAYS starts to itch while I'm doing this and yes I've had a poison ivy rash on the end of my nose :-(. OK - so we're back to pulling. Keep everything contained and make sure you stay decently covered. If you have the long gloves, you won't get anything on your arms.
When I'm done the pulling, I tie a knot in the trash bag and place it in the trash can. I have my husband open the can so that I don't take a chance of contaminating the can. Next, I go over to my bucket of soapy water and start washing the gloves and tools. If hubby is still handy I have him turn on the hose nozzle and I rinse off the gloves, tools, and my boots. If he's not handy, I'll take off the gloves after a good dunking and then rinse the gloves, tools, and my shoes.
Next it's time to get out of the work clothes. Make sure you take your shoes off outside - don't want to take a chance of getting urushiol oil on the floor or carpeting. Shoes are one of the most overlooked areas for cleanup. Personally, I only use a strong stream of water and rinse off the boots for a few minutes. The idea is to use lots of water. After your shoes are off - go straight to the washing machine and disrobe taking care when putting the clothes in the machine. Load up with soap and run through a full cycle. I've never thrown out my clothes though I have thrown out gloves when I wasn't comfortable with the cleanup on those.
When we moved in 10 years ago, the poison ivy was growing up just about every tree and popping up amongst all of the garden areas. Some of the plants had vines thicker than a man's wrist. Until I figured out how to control it, the poison ivy just seemed to be everywhere. Now I'm confident about my gardens and most of the new outbreaks are on the periphery of the yard. I did get a little surprise just a couple days ago as I mentioned earlier - those I expect from time to time though as the birds really like the poison ivy berries and like to "share the wealth" with us.
Good luck on the control. If you are diligent initially, you'll find that it gets easier as time goes on. You'll find less and less plants to deal with. I don't have near as many plants to pull now as I did when we first moved in.
Here's a bit of good news to your wife - the rash varies from time to time. Apparently there are a number of factors which determine if a reaction will occur including t-cell memory. If its been sometime since her last reaction, then it is likely that the next one will be much less than usual. Also, as we age we are less susceptible - something to look forward to in old age. I've got a number of references about this if you're interested.
Let us know how the battle goes and what techniques you used.
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* - I do have one caveat to the no break out statement - I seem to get a small rash in the exact same spot every year in the early spring. Happened again this year and I know for a fact that there was no way that I could have come in contact with urushiol oil. I've read others post about "anniversary" rashes but I have no substantiating evidence about this phenomenon.
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