First Pics: The Soap Box natural cleaning-products shop opens at 616 S. 6th St.

The birds are chirping and the daffodils are blooming, well they’re supposed to be. Grumpy winter complaining aside, these rites of passage signal it’s time for spring cleaning.

For those of you interested in green, chemical-free cleaning products to get rid of the salty winter grime you tracked inside, you are in luck. The Soap Box, which opened in December at 616 S. 6th St., carries a line of all-natural cleaning products created in-house by owner Ginger Kuczowicz.

Kuczowicz, co-founder of Holistic Home, a green cleaning company, began making her own products at home for her employees to use after her concerns grew about the harsh chemicals in most cleaning products.

She did extensive research to find the most effective all-natural recipes to get the job done. That research led to some unusual stories. Her Thieves All-Purpose Disinfecting Spray, is based on a 15th-Century recipe found in the Royal English archives. The story goes that the recipe protected a group of thieves from the black plague as they robbed the bodies of plague victims. After the thieves were caught, legend has it that they were spared being burned at the stake by giving up the secret of their immunity.

Client demands for the products grew and when production of the cleaners overtook her kitchen, she decided it was time to open up a shop. Now, in addition to cleaning products, Kuczowicz has expanded her line to include soaps, lotions, healing face serums, salves that help with sleep and eliminating spider veins and even chewing gum replacements, all made with 100 percent natural ingredients. She even makes a soap using cedarwood and hops!

All the products are safe for children and for pets and you can bring in your empty containers to get refills.

www.MyHolisticHome.com/Store
Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday; closed Mondays.

– Martha Rich, martharich.com