Allergic to my socks/bike shorts?
#26
Senior Member
Back in the '90s I was doing lawn work for the summer on Martha's Vineyard, which as insane amounts of poison ivy, and of a VERY powerful strain. I had a couple of really bad bouts of PI, then I discovered tecnu. (Basically turpintine and high-fat soap.)
I was literally mowing fields of poison ivy, and getting covered in the juice, but I would come home, strip off, and wash myself from head to toe with Tecnu. Never had another case of poison ivy. I HIGHLY recommend the stuff
#27
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Still, a good washing never hurts.
#28
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Just some information in general regarding washing of fitness clothing. I use a dedicated liquid detergent for washing all of my fitness clothing. It's gentle, works at low temperatures and also has an anti-bacterial agent that works on low temperature washes.
Bacteria survive below 60 degree Celsius (= 140 degrees Fahrenheit) washes and fitness clothing requires much lower temperatures. Hence, a dedicated gentle detergent with anti-bacterial properties may help.
Bacteria survive below 60 degree Celsius (= 140 degrees Fahrenheit) washes and fitness clothing requires much lower temperatures. Hence, a dedicated gentle detergent with anti-bacterial properties may help.
Remember not all bacteria are pathogenic, especially your own flora.
#29
Senior Member
Wiggle sells it, as do some supermarkets here in the UK. Here's the Wiggle link and you can see that it has very favourable reviews:
Wiggle | Halo Proactive Sports Wash Laundry Detergent - (1 Litre) | Fabric Cleaner
#30
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#31
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He explained that. If I am him, I am going with the diagnosis of a doctor who actually saw it. If, as he suspects, his clothes touched poison ivy before he put them back on, he could definitely get this rash.
#32
Senior Member
Tecnu is really turpintine and soap. The turps breaks the bonds of the oil to your skin, and the heavy-duty soap washes it away. The oil isn't water soluble, and even rubbing alcohol won't touch it. Probably one can mix it up oneself. Heck, we make our own chain lube and tubeless tire sealant, right?
#33
Senior Member
I order this one online and I'm in the UK. You should be able to find something similar if you're not based in the UK. I've been using this on all of my gym kit for many years and the clothing feels good and smells fresher for longer.
Wiggle sells it, as do some supermarkets here in the UK. Here's the Wiggle link and you can see that it has very favourable reviews:
Wiggle | Halo Proactive Sports Wash Laundry Detergent - (1 Litre) | Fabric Cleaner
Wiggle sells it, as do some supermarkets here in the UK. Here's the Wiggle link and you can see that it has very favourable reviews:
Wiggle | Halo Proactive Sports Wash Laundry Detergent - (1 Litre) | Fabric Cleaner
EDIT: the wiggle link says they no longer carry it. Boo!
Last edited by Wheever; 08-20-18 at 10:19 PM.
#34
Senior Member
You should be able to source it from your regional Amazon site and larger local supermarkets.
#35
Senior Member
Funny, my HRM strap has suddenly begun leaving me with a rash...may have to change my cleanup procedure.
#36
Senior Member
I've also noticed that on my HRM straps (one from Polar and the other from Garmin), there is a little fabric flap that is supposed to go between your skin and the hard plastic buckle.
Many people don't fold that flap correctly so their skin is irritated by the buckle.
Of course, your issue may be completely unrelated.
In terms of washing, I use a lingerie wash bag and place the HRM straps into it and then use the detergent mentioned above in the washing machine.
#37
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I've been lucky in my life that I'm not very susceptible to poison ivy. Good friend of mine used to always get it when we were kids. I think he could look at it and break out. I never once got it as a kid, I think I only first got it as a young adult. And even then it didn't itch very much, just a few small blisters which went away after a few days. I think I've only had poison ivy two or three times in my life, and it never bothered me that much. I am very familiar with it and know very well what it looks like, though, so any time I'm out in the woods I keep an eye out for it. One of my neighbors, though, has it growing up one of her trees. Even after I pointed it out to her it's still there. I might go over with my limb loppers and cut the stem so it dies.