| Nancy, research says that the oil keeps it's potency for a year or more. You did not say where your rash is. You need to think back at what you did the day you got infected. If you have the rash on your legs for example, and you spent the day wearing shorts & sat on the couch or chair, your furniture could have residue of the oil on it. If this was the case, and you feel concerned, you can use Fels Napths Laundry Bar soap to remove the oils. You can find this in your grocery store with the detergents. It will cut through the oils on your skin or fabric--in fact, it makes a great after-exposure wash for your skin to remove the poison oils. However you must do it within 20-30 minutes of exposure to the poison. WEAR RUBBER GLOVES TO DO THIS! To clean your furniture, make a small bucket of hot water & Fels Naptha to make some suds, and then using an old terry cloth, immerse it in the water. Wring out your cloth to be slightly wet, and wipe down all surfaces you think were exposed to the oil. Test a spot first to make sure your fabric looks okay after treatment. Repeat in the water to make sure the soap is doing it's job. When you are done, throw away the rag and make sure to clean the bucket by swishing with a little alcohol, let sit for about 15 minutes, dump the alcohol, then air dry. This way you can be sure your bucket can be used again for cleaning without spreading the oil. I had to do this last year when I used regular soap instead of Fels Naptha to wash up after many hours of yard work. I sat down for a few hours, and got the oils on the arms of my sofa (that is where I broke out). I hope this info helps you :) |
