After baking pies the last week, I had the inevitable burnt-on pie drips on the bottom of my new oven. I put oven cleaner on the shopping list, but then thought about pouring that nasty caustic stuff down the drain and into our land. So I looked up tips for natural homemade oven cleaners.

I tried one that had baking soda, vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. I was surprised to find that it worked just as well as the more expensive spray-on kinds you buy and with none of the nasty smell or chemicals. Next time you clean your oven, you might want to try it.