Declutter #35 - Making Do Instead of Buying Something

Twice this summer, I have tried to remove poison ivy from the hill at our lake place. Twice I have tried to be very careful with protecting myself and washing thoroughly after the poison ivy removal. Twice I have gotten rashes (after a 2-3 delay in which I thought I had done a great job) that made me fairly miserable, itching my arms to bloodiness.

 

After the first experience (in June), I looked online for something that could help protect me. I found this guy's amazing explanation of how and why to be careful: How to Never Have a Serious Poison Ivy Rash Again. (By the way, I thought I followed his directions the second time I got infected in August.) I also looked at buying protective sleeves, but I couldn't tell if they would work against the urishiol oil in poison ivy. Farmer's Defense has lovely sleeves, but they mostly advertise as protection against thorns and other gardening issues. Could I spend $30 on something that might not even solve my issue?

Today, I decided to make sleeves from some of the cordura fabric I got from my co-worker. They may or may not protect my arms, but I haven't had to spend money for them! Here's a pic with the first one. I'm a bit slapdash, so it was supposed to be a prototype, but it worked. So I made another, added elastic around the top of the armbands, and have them in our lake bin with a designated poison ivy shirt, some latex gloves, and a carry sack. They're all inside a plastic bag for returning home. I can launder everything except the gloves and plastic bag which will go in the garbage. 

Here's hoping for poison ivy removal without me ending up like a scabby kid, scratching my arms!