Our Story

About Us

Over twenty years of removing poison ivy by the root on residential, commercial, and municipal properties in New Hampshire and the New England region.

Sound familiar?

You've tried everything to get rid of poison ivy, but it keeps coming back.

You cut it back yourself and spent weeks itching. Poison ivy rashes can last 2-3 weeks. You hired a lawn crew and they mowed around it. You sprayed something from the hardware store and watched it come back thicker the following season.

Meanwhile there are corners of your own property you quietly avoid: the back slope, the stone wall, the edge of the woods where the kids used to play. That land belongs to you. You shouldn't have to give it up.

Poison ivy doesn't lose to half measures. You can cut the vine all day long, but until you pull the root out of the ground and haul it off your property, you haven't solved the problem. You've just delayed it.

Poison ivy using root hairs to cling to a cement foundation wall
Helaine Hughes, founder of Poison Ivy Removal Company, on-site in a yellow hazmat suit removing poison ivy from a boulder in New Hampshire
Meet Helaine Hughes

I started the Poison Ivy Removal Company in 2003 because the market needed a real solution.

I've always planted, sprouted, watered, and cared for growing things. Every place I've ever liked has had something in the ground that I planted. I spent years working on New England landscapes as a fine gardener, and property after property, I kept running into the same problem: poison ivy everywhere, and no good option for getting rid of it.

I remember working as a housekeeper in Dunstable, watching the kids play on a stone wall thick with poison ivy. The problem was everywhere, and nobody had a real way to deal with it.

Landscapers wouldn't touch it. The crews that would spray herbicide were killing everything around it, contaminating the soil, and still not pulling the root. The ivy always came back.

So I built a business with a system. Hazmat suit, gloves, hand tools, and the patience to follow every runner back to the root. Pull it clean. Bag it. Haul it off your property. No chemicals, no shortcuts, no pile left for you to deal with.

People are often so relieved when they find us. Many have spent years looking for a solution that doesn't involve chemicals. And even after a plant is pulled, the dead vine can still cause a rash for 3-5 years. That's why we remove it completely, not just cut it back.

"Poison ivy is a real problem for property owners throughout New England. Our service diligently removes it without the use of harsh chemicals, and with respect for the rest of the landscape."

— Helaine, Founder

Why chemical-free matters

Our service is chemical free to protect your family, pets, and the local ecology.

Herbicides don't stay where you put them. They travel through the soil, into your garden beds, and into the groundwater. They stress native plants, harm pollinators, and leave residue on the soil long after the ivy is gone. We've never used them. Not once.

Safe for kids and pets

The only thing we leave behind is a clean yard. No herbicides, no chemical residue. Depending on the site, 2-3 soaking rains or a good rinsing with soapy water will help draw any remaining oil down into the ground before it's safe for kids and pets to be back out there.

Safe for your garden

We work carefully around your perennials, native plantings, and stone walls. In dense growth, we sometimes have to step on what's underneath to reach the vine. Vinca bounces back by the next day and ferns regrow the following year, and we're careful to minimize damage to slower-growing plants like daylilies along the way.

Actually solves the problem

Herbicides kill the top growth and leave the root. We pull the root, so the results actually last.

What to expect

We're a small crew
that takes poison ivy removal seriously.

We show up, and get into full protective gear. We walk the property with you first, so you understand exactly what we're doing and why. We work methodically, no rushing, no cutting corners. When we leave, everything is bagged and off your land.

We can schedule a follow-up visit the next season, billed like any other visit, to check for new growth and pull anything that comes up. Poison ivy root systems can be deep, and there's no guaranteeing it won't return. Seeds can travel in on their own, carried in by a bird, and start the problem over again.

Talk to us about your property
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Full hazmat suits and protective gear on every job

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Hand tools only. No herbicides, ever.

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Every vine followed back to the root

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Everything bagged, sealed, and hauled off-site

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Written quote before any work begins, unless given the go ahead

Field Reports

What our clients actually say.

W
Wayne Lamarre 5 reviews
★★★★★
I had a huge problem with poison ivy on my property in Manchester, NH. When I bought the property, both the left and right property boundaries were taken over by a sea of poison ivy. It's an understatement to say I was grateful to find The Poison Ivy Removal Company because I did not want to spray harmful chemicals and hope for the best.
They first came to do a site inspection, which was great, and let me know what it would take for them to remove it and what the cost would be. It was an easy choice to say yes and get on their schedule.
From that point forward, their communication was excellent, they showed up when they said they would, and the crew was professional, respectful, and incredibly knowledgeable. It was impressive to see how diligent they were in their removal process, and it's true when they say they remove poison ivy roots and all!
If you have a poison ivy problem and want a company that specializes in it instead of "kind of" handling it, we highly recommend them. Great people, great service, and a huge relief to have the problem handled properly.

Let's get the ivy off your property,
so you can start living.

Get Your Yard Back Call 603·831·4100
Contact Us 603·831·4100