flickr photo courtesy of mjk23

Anyone who has worked on home improvement projects knows that it can be a dangerous, tedious and sometimes messy venture. Life can be pretty unorganized with a home in disarray while in the midst of a project, and when you've got kids and pets in the mix while also trying to stay on task, it can be more challenging.

One very time-consuming task can be smelly and difficult: applying polyurethane to wood trim and floors.

In the latter case, one sticky situation has occurred in many homes, and trying to remedy the issue can seem impossible.

Picture it — after applying a flawless coat of polyurethane to a wood floor, your curious pet traipses over the still-wet floor and ends up with the toxic, smelly goo all over his paws.

Besides pets trafficking the mess all over the house, you don't want the stuff being stuck on their fur and skin.

There is an easy way to remove polyurethane from your pets (as well as your own skin) and you can use something that is in your pantry: peanut butter.

Simply rub peanut butter into the affected areas well and wash out with Dawn dish soap; then rinse well, repeating if necessary. It's amazingly effective and inexpensive. Finish by bathing your pet with their regular conditioning shampoo.

Lorrie Shaw is lead pets blogger for AnnArbor.com. Connect with her on Google+ or e-mail her directly.