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How to Avoid Stings and Burns When Gardening
Gardening is among the most exciting and enjoyable activities for many. Still, it can take a wrong turn and cause self-injuries, especially when you have allergic reactions or come in contact with a stinging or poisonous plant. Therefore, it is important to follow the below simple steps to prevent yourself from stings and burns when gardening.
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Stings and burns come as a result of different plants and gardening activities that can cause scrapes and cuts. Therefore, learn how to identify poison ivy in the wild when you go gardening to remain safe the entire time.
To enjoy gardening, you should be able to stay safe while performing gardening activities.
1. Wear Protective Gear
Remember that when working in the fields, everything from the plant’s spines to sap can cause injuries, burns or stings effect on your skin. You can experience some allergic reactions when you touch certain plants when gardening.
Therefore, you should cover your skin when gardening using protective gear like long pants, gloves, socks, long-sleeved shirts and shoes covering your entire feet. Also, it is recommended to wear sunglasses and a hat to prevent your skin from sunburns.
2. Avoid Touching Your Face
You might come across poisonous or irritating plants when working in your garden. Therefore, touching your face after touching an irritating plant can cause rashes on your skin. Plant sap on your face can be dangerous. Therefore, you should use a clean washcloth to wipe off sweat.
3. Carefully Read the Labels of Farm Products Before Using
Many gardening products people use daily, from weed killer to insecticides, can cause burns or injuries ranging from severe burns to mild rash. In some cases, people have encountered life-threatening injuries. The best thing to do is to follow all precautions indicated on the product label to help you prevent injuries.
For example, when the product requires a respirator, ensure you have one before even opening the product. Wear protective gear like gloves when handling scorching fertilizers. Also, after handling any gardening product, thoroughly wash your hand, if possible, the whole body, just in case.
4. Treat Wounds Immediately
If you have a minor garden injury like a puncture wound from a thorny plant, it is advised to work on it first. Remember, even a small wound opening can cause infection. You need to follow the right steps when treating a wound from the garden to avoid burns and infection. Start by washing the wound with clean water and soap, then apply an antibiotic ointment.
Always cover the wound with a clean bandage and maintain cleanness before you continue gardening (Change your clothing and gloves). Clean and disinfect the wound every day until it heals.
5. Avoid Citrus Drinks and Food When Gardening
Citrus juice can react with sunlight on your skin and cause a painful swelling or a blistering rash. Some fruits and food you need to avoid when gardening include oranges, lemon grapefruit and limes.
Also, you can either avoid citrus when working in your garden or use water to rinse your skin after touching citrus and apply sunscreen afterward.
About the Author Laura Bennett
Hello, I’m Laura Bennett. I love nature especially when it comes to flowers and different kinds of plants. I started a very small garden behind my house and I named it Humid Garden. So, I created this blog to provide aspiring and inspiring thoughts about gardening for gardeners and anyone who has the intention of keeping a garden.
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