Smothering

• 1). Wear gloves, a hat,a long-sleeved shirt and long pants when working around poison ivy or poison sumac. Protect your skin from any exposure to the weeds.
  
  
• 2). Cut the plants as close to the ground as possible using pruning sheers or a weed eater. Wear a face mask to protect you from breathing in the fumes of the plants. The chemical in the weeds can become airborne.
  
  
• 3). Rake up the plants and place them in large disposable garden bags or trash bags. Throw the bags away. Do not try to burn the plants because the fumes from the plants are toxic and can cause throat irritation.
  
  
• 4). Smother the remainder of the plants by covering them with plastic sheeting or a heavy tarp. Place bricks, concrete blocks or stones along the outsides of the sheeting to reduce the amount of air that can get in. The more airtight the covering is, the sooner the plants will die.
  
  
• 5). Wait approximately two weeks and pull back the sheeting. Use a shovel to dig up the roots of the weeds and dispose of them in the same manner as the leaves.
  
  

Herbicides

• 1). Select a herbicide that is specific to destroying poison ivy and sumac. Look for one that is glyphosate- or triclopyr-based.
  
  
• 2). Mix the herbicide in a tank sprayer with the recommended amount of water. Follow the directions on the herbicide container.
  
  
• 3). Soak the poison ivy when the leaves are large and full, in June or July. Watch the weather forecast for a day that is not windy and there is no prediction of rain for the next 48 hours. There is no need to remove the dead vines if the herbicide has destroyed them. You may dig them up with a shovel and dispose of them in lawn bags if you want to remove them.
  
  
• 4). Reapply the herbicide if any of the poison ivy or poison sumac reappears.