Cleansing Your Crystals

Just as we feel refreshed and ready to take on the day after our morning shower, so do our crystals feel renewed and ready to get to work after a good cleansing.

Crystals absorb both positive and negative energy from their surroundings. If you want your stones to keep functioning at their full potential, you need to cleanse (clear) them of stagnant and unwanted negative energies.

Cleansing Crystals With Smudge Sticks or Incense

When it comes to easy and efficient ways to cleanse your crystals, smudging tops the list. It’s one of the fastest and safest methods of clearing unwanted energy from objects and spaces.

Simply pass your crystals several times through the smoke of a smudge stick, incense or Palo Santo wand. Favorite smudge sticks for cleansing and purifying include cedar, sage and sweetgrass. Other popular scents for general cleansing include frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, lavender and jasmine. Palo Santo is also highly recommended. It’s scent is subtle, sweet and woodsy with just a hint of citrus,

TIP: Remember that crystals will pick up both positive and negative energies from their surroundings. If you find the aroma of what you are burning unpleasant or offensive, your crystals will pick up on your negative thoughts and feelings during their cleansing. Be sure to choose a scent you love and feel the tranquility take over as you cleanse the negativity from your crystals and the area around them!

Cleansing Crystals With Water

If you live near a natural source of running water, like a river, creek, or even an outdoor fountain, you can cleanse your crystals outdoors. Allowing nature to help you cleanse your crystals is ideal.

You can also give your crystals a quick ‘shower’ by holding them under running tap water. As the water splashes over them, visualize all their stagnant and negative energies being washed down the drain.

Another way to pamper your crystals, is to set a bowl of water out in the sunlight or moonlight for a few hours and reserve it exclusively for cleansing and charging your stones. For crystals sensitive to sunlight, using water charged by the sun is a much safer alternative. A bath in rainwater that you have collected and saved for cleansing would also be a treat for your stones when you can’t get outside to cleanse them.

Caution: Some stones like Selenite and Labradorite (and several others that end with ‘ite’) can dissolve or rust in water over time, and a few crystals have coatings that can be affected by moisture. If you have soft stones, porous crystals, or crystals made of salt or mineral deposits, it may be wise to use one of the other cleansing methods.

Cleansing Crystals With Mother Earth

Mother Earth is a great cleanser and she will naturally absorb and neutralize negative or unwanted energies. We experience her power for ourselves when we walk barefoot on the earth, or simply sit quietly in the grass as she draws out our stress and renews our energy.

This same power can be used to cleanse and renew our crystals to their natural state. You can simply set them outside on the ground and Mother Earth will cleanse and renew them for you in 2 to 12 hours.

The added benefit of this method, is that your crystals will likely also be getting cleansed by the sun, air, and even water from early morning dew or a rain shower. Having multiple elements working together to cleanse your crystals just can’t be beat!

If you live in an apartment with no yard or outdoor space, you can create a nature area in your home. Simply surround your crystal with a few potted plants or set it directly in the soil at the base of a plant. The earth energy will start cleansing and charging immediately. you can remove it after 24 hours, or leave it in its new home until you need it.

Some believe that actually burying stones in the earth is a powerful way to cleanse them. If you want to try this method, find a quiet place in your yard or fill a clay or ceramic pot with fresh soil to place your crystals in. Most leave their stones buried for at least 24 hours and some leave them in the ground for a week or more.

NOTE: Burying is not the best method for delicate crystals like clusters or stones with rough surfaces. If you have any concerns about the sturdiness of your crystal, don’t bury it. Simply leave it on the surface or cleanse it with another method.

Cleansing Crystals With Himalayan or Sea Salt

Salt is a quick and effective cleanser for your crystals. Himalayan and sea salt are preferred, but Epson salt is also an option.

Use a ceramic or glass bowl and pour in enough salt to cover the stones you are cleansing. Make sure your crystals are completely dry, then place them in the bowl of salt with any points facing downward. Most stones are good to go after an hour, but If a crystal has not been cleansed for a long time or has been exposed to more negative energy than usual, you can leave them for up to 24 hours.

if you’re worried that your crystal is too fragile or delicate to be buried in salt, a saltwater bath is a gentle alternative. To use salt water, mix a tablespoon of Himalayan or sea salt in a glass or ceramic bowl of cold water. Place your stone in the solution and soak for up to1 hour. Dry your crystal with a soft cloth.

Those who are lucky enough to live by the sea, can wash their crystals in the ocean or collect a jar of saltwater to take home and use in a future cleansing.

If you choose to use a salt method to cleanse your stones, only do one or two cleansings a year. Using salt too frequently can have a negative effect on the quality of your crystals. Over time, salt can remove the luster of crystals and work its way into their cracks and crevices. Polished stones may start to look washed out and dull, in the same way our skin can lose its healthy glow and become dry if we wash it too frequently with a harsh soap. Don’t skip the cleansing, just use moderation when cleansing your crystals with salt.

TIP: Crystals that are 7 or more on the Moh’s Hardness Scale are safe to wash with saltwater and/or water. It’s a good idea to know your crystals hardness number before exposing it to a saltwater bath. The lower its number, the more likely it is to be damaged by water. ALSO, while salt is safe for most stones, there are a few crystals and minerals that do not react well to salt. Again, research your crystals if you have any doubts about them.

Cleansing Crystals With Sunlight or Moonlight

One of the most popular ways of cleansing is to use the light of the Sun or Moon. You can simply place your stones outside or in a window where they can soak up the sunlight or moonlight for 2 to 12 hours.  

While a little sun is very beneficial for both people and stones alike, too much can be harmful. Just as excessive exposure to sun can cause our skin to darken and wrinkle, prolonged exposure to the sun’s bright light and high temperatures can cause some crystals to fade or crack. For example, Amethyst can lose its beautiful purple color if it is left in an area where the sunlight hits it repeatedly.

TIP: Amethyst, Citrine, and many other types of quartz can fade in prolonged sunlight If you are not sure if your crystal will hold up to sunlight, it may be best to use only moonlight for cleansing. ALL stones can safely be cleansed in in the light of the moon.

Charging & Giving Your Crystals a Purpose

When you cleanse your crystals using one or more of the elements, you are also helping them recharge and return to their natural energy and vibration levels. Your stones natural state is perfect for every day use and enjoyment. However, they have not yet been charged to reach their full magical potential.

If you really want your crystals to jump in and help you, you’ll need to supercharge them by sending them some of your own energy and give them a purpose. This is known as charging and setting intentions.

Most people like to pick a crystal up and hold it while they are charging it. If a stone is too large to hold comfortably in your hand, simply sit close to it. Reaching out and touching it can help you feel connected to your crystal, but it will absorb your energy whether you touch it or not.

To charge your crystal, send it positive thoughts and feelings of love, joy, peace and gratitude. It will absorb all of this energy and store it for future use.

Some believe if you speak these things out loud, you give them more power. This is true IF saying words out loud helps you establish them in your own heart and mind. Your crystal doesn’t absorb your words, it simply absorbs your thoughts and feelings.

Once you have charged your crystal, it’s time to set an intention for it. Did you choose this crystal to help you strengthen a relationship? Will it be helping you focus on vitality and good health? Perhaps you will be carrying it with you for good luck and prosperity, or simply to help you stay grounded in a stressful work environment.

Whatever its purpose will be, express your gratitude to your crystal for it’s help in achieving your goal. Now, whenever you look at or touch it, imagine the positive outcome it is bringing you and thank it for what you now see in your future!

You have now supercharged your crystal by setting an intention for it and it is ready to start helping you achieve your special goals. You can set intentions for multiple crystals and leave them in places where they will be most helpful to you. Set one in your workspace to keep you focused on prosperity, another at home to strengthen relationships, and place one under your pillow or by your bed to promote restful sleep and peaceful dreams. You can also wear them as jewelry to draw strength, vitality, creativity and/or clear thinking into your daily life. The possibilities are endless!

For help selecting the right stone for a particular purpose, read our blog post Best Crystals for Magic and Healing.

You may also enjoy reading Crystal Magic – Using Treasures from Mother Earth as Magical Tools.

To browse a great selection of crystal stones, points, clusters and spheres, visit the crystal section of our Wicca magical store.