>I keep the OUTSIDE of the oven clean, that's easy... and I wipe down
> the stove top every time I wash the dishes... (and since I discovered
> that new burner liners cost less than five dollars each, they're taken
> care of the easy way - I'd rather spend ten dollars a year on new
> burners than scrub the old ones :P) but the inside is a mystery to me,
> and unlike the burners, it can't be replaced. I know they sell
> 'oven-cleaners' of all shapes and sizes, but I'm very sensitive to
> chemicals and we have a small apartment and three cats... is there an
> oven cleaner that is NOT fumey or toxic? how do I get the thing clean,
> especially the bottom? Does the element lift up or come out or do I
> just work around it? My parents oven had a slide-out tray in the
> bottom of the oven that you covered with aluminum foil and it caught
> all the ickies for you, but this one has a flat bottom with nothing to
> remove. Help please...


I have similar issues. I use burner guards now as well, and I put heavy
duty foil on the bottom of the oven, making sure not to touch the element,
since a few people warned me about that one when I asked here a couple
months back. I haven't found any non-toxic cleaner, but I imagine if you
needed too, putting a good load of white vinegar in there and letting it
soak for 12-24 hours (and repeat until clean) might help out. I use white
vinegar for soaking my roastings pans and it workes wonders there.