baking soda + vinegar + liquid soap = awesome
 
A few years ago I stopped buying the cleaning products easily found on supermarket shelves. Instead I purchased "green" cleaning products that cost a bit more but smelled great and didn't contain harsh chemicals. They worked well and I had no complaints, until one day a bubble bath was calling out to me and I was out of my $6 bottle of organic rosemary-lavender bathroom cleaner. 
 
I needed a clean tub, stat, so I mixed up a potion of baking soda, vinegar, and liquid soap and rubbed it over the tiles and tub with a rag. It worked like a charm—the tub was clean and bubble-bath ready. It worked so much better at removing tub scum than my fancy organic green cleaners or the toxic cleaners of my youth. Plus, it was super inexpensive and made out of ingredients I already had in my cupboards. And because of the lavender Dr. Bronner's castile soap I used, it wasn't a slouch in the scent department either. I was sold. No more specialized tub cleaner for me. This stuff was some serious awesome. 
 
my oven: before
 
But could this paste tackle big jobs? I put my disgustingly dirty old 1980s oven (which wasn't very clean when I moved in, and that's being generous) to the test. Commercial oven cleaners are caustic and evil through and through—from the fumes they give off to the pollutants that go down the drain—so I wanted nothing to do with them. There are recipes online for using borax, bleach and ammonia to create your own natural oven cleaner, but I stuck with the proven trifecta of baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap. 
 
my oven: during
 
Before going to bed, I mixed up enough of the paste to spread throughout my entire oven—about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cups of baking soda, a few tablespoons of vinegar, and a good squirt or two of dish soap. Nothing was measured - just eyeballed, and gave it a good stir. With a damp rag, I smeared it on the bottom, sides and inside the door of my oven. I closed it up and went to bed. 
 
my oven: afterwards - sparkling!
 
The next morning, I took a damp rag and wiped off the sludge, and amazingly, it wiped away clean! Sparkling with very little scrubbing! However, it was the bottom of my oven that was the true test with its crusty and caked on spills. This area did benefit from a little elbow grease (and a scrub pad), but the end result was surprising. I did have to rinse the oven a couple times with a damp clean rag because the baking soda leaves a little residue, but even if you miss a few spots, it's not a big deal. The only real cautionary bit of wisdom I can impart is to watch out for is the oven light bulb, which gets really freakin' hot. Yes, not only did I burn one of my fingers (and I've got a nasty scab to prove it), I also busted the bulb. Live and learn. 
 
Got any natural cleaning tips of your own? Are you a baking soda cleaning convert? Let me know in the comments and share your wisdom. 

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