Anonymous wrote:OP here. PP with the slop - I definitely want to defend us here. I know a lot people tend to equate outsourcing this to yard men to lazy or negligence, but seriously, the yard was already affected when I bought the house, and we are talking about not a few vines, but a big area or challenging terrain here (mine's also sloped, although not to the point that I can't safely stand on it)
Also people have different levels of sensitivity... Some may only suffer a mild to moderate dermatitis but seeing my mom's nightmarish reaction I don't want to tempt fate.
I saw MD service too. I live in VA. Tried to ring them a couple of times today but didn't get through. Will try again and I hope they service NoVa area!
Can't speak for anyone else, but I don't think anyone is lazy here. I just don't think there are a lot of companies that are setup to specifically remove PI. Landscaping people by and large will remove PI by spraying usually, as part of their yard maintenance service. If the slope is so steep that you cannot work on it safely, you will likely not find someone else that will take on that risk, either. Honestly, if it is so steep no one is able to be on it, it's not really causing any harm. Maybe a bit of a PITA in that you have to be somewhat vigilant about pulling out babies that pop up.
My DH is horribly allergic, and has to be on steroids if he is exposed. I recently met a lady from a plant swap who is also similarly reactive. What they both do when they have to deal with poison ivy is to wear long sleeved clothes and long pants, tuck the pants into long socks, put on barrier creams on hands and face, then Tyvek suits, long rubber gloves, masks, and eye protection, and spray (most of that is a good idea when using herbicides anyway). Strip and trash anything that's not washable, wash clothes upon coming in, and take a shower. This routine works very well, and you don't have to do it with any great frequency. You have a window of about an hour if your skin comes into contact with poison ivy, and have something like Tecnu on hand to wash with.