Healing crystals can be excellent investments for enhancing your spiritual health. However, many people buy new crystals and aren’t aware of the care they require. Some people believe crystals are living, vibrating objects, and as such, they need to be tended in specific ways.
One of those ways is cleansing.
Cleansing your crystals is essential to harnessing the potential of the crystal’s energy. There are plenty of ways to do this and maximize the benefits you reap. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to cleanse crystals.
Note: If you struggle with confusion, depression, anxiety, or feel lost in life, read this.
What Does Cleansing Crystals Involve?
Crystals can be viewed as energy storage and filters. They can absorb negative and unwanted energy. In turn, this absorption changes the condition of the crystal.
Cleansing crystals allows them to revert to their natural state. Think of it as if you had a chalkboard that you’ve written notes on all day. By the end of the day, there’s no room left on the board, so you have to erase the notes so you can start fresh the next day.
The act of cleansing your crystals is an essential task in the overall care of your stones. It maintains the abilities of the crystal and makes sure the energy keeps flowing.
You may hear people using the word “recharge” interchangeably with cleansing.
Why Should You Cleanse Crystals?
Let’s take a look at another example─this time, using a glass of water. Since crystals are natural energy absorbers, they take in a lot of what’s around them. Now let’s envision that glass becoming fuller each time you come into contact with unhealthy energies, environments, and people.
What happens is the glass will start to overflow, and there won’t be any room left for more water. You’ll need to pour the glass out to make sure there’s always room to refill the glass.
This is similar to how crystals work. They get filled continuously, so we need to help them empty manually. You want to make sure you’re working with a clean slate, so your crystals stay at their most potent receptivity. This will ensure you get the most out of your intentions and spiritual energy work.
In short, you need to reset and recharge your crystals because otherwise, they’ll collect too much energetic debris.
How to Cleanse Crystals
Now that you’re ready to start cleansing your crystals, you should know that there are multiple methods for crystal cleansing at your disposal. From recharging in the moonlight to taking advantage of the benefits of selenite, be sure to explore these different ways to see what resonates best with you and your stones.
Moon Energy
One of the most common ways for people to cleanse their crystals is using the moon’s energy. The moon is a potent planetary body that holds strong feminine energy. Its receptive energy is the perfect match for gently bringing your crystals (and you) back to the center.
The best time to use the moon for cleansing crystals is during a new or full moon. The moon moves in four phases─new, full, waxing, and waning. Although many spiritualists use each phase for rituals and energy work, it’s ok to just focus on the two most popular phases.
Charging your crystals under a full or new moon is simple! Put your crystals on your windowsill (or in your yard or porch) overnight and allow them to soak up the energy.
You can charge almost all types of crystals under the moonlight, but some love the full or new moon more than others. These include:
- Selenite
- Quartz
- Labradorite
- Amethyst
- Black tourmaline
- Opal
- Moonstone
Don’t worry too much about whether or not the moonlight is beaming directly on your crystals. They’ll still be able to reap the benefits of the cleanse if they’re simply placed outside. You can start using them regularly in the morning or even a few hours after you first put them in the light.
Sunlight
There’s no need to wait if you don’t have a new or full moon on the horizon. You can also use the power of sunlight to charge your crystals. The sun offers us vibrant, revitalizing energy ideal for recharging crystals and restoring vitality.
The sun is full of masculine energy, so sunlight works well with some of the most powerful and protective crystals. Similar to cleansing crystals under the moonlight, sit your stones under the sun and allow them to soak up all those unique vibes.
Crystals that respond well to sunlight include:
- Jade
- Howlite
- Labradorite
- Black obsidian
- Black onyx
- Carnelian
- Amber
- Lapis lazuli
- Malachite
- Peridot
- Sunstone
- Black tourmaline
Sometimes direct sunlight—unlike moonlight—can damage the physical appearance and qualities of your crystals. Be careful not to leave your stones in direct sunlight for too long because some crystals will fade. Be especially careful with crystals like aquamarine, topaz, amethyst, opal, celestite, rose quartz (and other types of quartz), flourite, and citrine.
Smudging
Smudging is a traditional ceremony used for cleansing and purifying the soul of negativity. It is commonly practiced by indigenous and first nations people worldwide.
Smudging involves burning sacred herbs or resin to smolder out unwanted energy. In the modern-day, the process is used to clear old energies from a new home or clean your aura. As such, this ancient ritual can also be used to clear away negative energy from your spiritual tools.
You need to gather together a few essential materials if you want to use smudging as a method for cleansing your crystals. These include:
- An abalone shell or fire-safe bowl
- Lighter or matches
- A feather (optional)
- Smudging herb
The first way to smudge your crystals is by lighting your herbs in the abalone shell or fire-safe bowl. The most common herb to use is white sage (typically a bundle stick), but you can also use a stick of palo santo. Use the feather (or your hand) to guide the smoke from the herbs onto and around your crystals.
Another way is to light the sage bundle or palo santo directly. You can then move the herbs around the crystals so the smoke surrounds them. Remember always to use safety precautions with whichever method you choose.
Keep in mind that you want to get into a centered state when smudging. Make sure your intentions are clear and focused so that your good energies and thoughts will be absorbed into the crystals. You should always smudge your crystals near an open window, so the negative energies are released from the space you’re in.
Smudging is an excellent method for large crystals that you can’t pick up and move around. It’s safe for almost all types of crystals and won’t damage or alter their physical attributes.
Saltwater
Salt has been used for spiritual and metaphysical purposes for centuries. For example, it’s an essential element in alchemy and is also used for cleansing and healing wounds in medicine.
While it’s best to use saltwater from the ocean, regular purified or tap water with table salt will do just fine. Fill a bowl with salt water and submerge your crystals in it.
Water holds vibrations and intentions, so before placing your crystals in the bowl, speak into the water to pre-program it for cleansing and clearing. Leave the crystals in the vessel for a few hours before removing them.
After you’ve soaked your stones in salt water, rinse them off with clean, clear water and leave them out to dry naturally. You can also pat them dry gently.
It’s important to note that you should never place certain crystals in water due to their external characteristics. For example, they may break or, worse, dissolve.
Saltwater is best used with hard stones like amethyst and quartz. Softer, porous rocks contain metal traces and aren’t suitable for this charging method.
Crystals you should never place in saltwater include:
- Selenite
- Calcite
- Angelite
- Malachite
- Lepidolite
- Apatite
- Azurite
- Hematite
- Celestite
- Pyrite
- Opal
- Turquoise
- Apophyllite
- Tangerine quartz
Visualization
While crystals can alter and enhance your life, you can also have some fantastic effects on them, too.
You can use meditation and visualization to cleanse and recharge your crystals. You’ll need a lot of focus and intent, but this is an excellent crystal cleansing method once you get the hang of it.
Start by bringing yourself into a balanced state; in other words, get grounded. You can do this through meditation or deep breathing exercises.
Close your eyes and focus on your intent—in other words, what you want to do with the crystals or want them to do for you. Once you’ve gotten yourself into a balanced state, you can place a crystal in your dominant hand.
Visualize pure white light encompassing the stone as it sits in your hand. Imagine the crystal soaking up all the purity of your intentions. Envision the negative energy being drawn out of the crystals and going into the ground.
Continue to surround the stone with pure light for a few more minutes and then gently place it back on the ground or table.
You’ll know intuitively when your crystal is charged, and it’ll become easier to identify this state the more you practice. Only cleanse one crystal at a time to ensure you have the highest state of focus.
Incense
If you don’t have access to traditional smudging herbs, you can learn how to cleanse crystals with incense instead. Some excellent incense choices include:
- Sage
- Sandalwood
- Myrrh
- Frankincense
- Juniper
- Cedar
- Sweetgrass
Light your incense in a fire-safe bowl or holder and pass the stones through the smoke. You can do this similarly to the smudging methods mentioned above. It can also help if you say cleansing affirmations or a blessing while holding the stone.
Again, remember to open the windows to remove bad energy from the room.
Selenite
Some crystals are known as energy powerhouses─”master cleansers,” if you will. This is because they can recharge and restore other crystals around them. One of those stones is called selenite.
Selenite is a gypsum mineral made from calcium sulfate dihydrate. Other than charging other crystals, people use selenite to connect with angel realms, cleanse their aura, enhance their psychic abilities, and gain greater clarity and understanding around an issue. This mineral is available in towers, wands, and palm stones.
Learning how to cleanse crystals with selenite is easy. If you have a tower or a wand, simply place it in a designated spot and arrange your other crystals around it. They can touch the selenite, or you can position them a centimeters away from it.
One of the easiest ways to cleanse other gemstones with selenite is to get a selenite plate or bowl. All you need to do is put the crystals inside the vessel and leave them for up to 24 hours—this should be enough time to restore them fully.
Burying
As you can see, crystals are often cleansed using natural elements (earth, air, fire, and water). All that’s left to discuss now is “earth.” You can cleanse your crystals by burying them in the ground.
Many spiritualists consider the earth a perfect medium for soaking up negative and impure energies. This is why people ground themselves by walking barefoot on the grass.
If you want to use the burial method to cleanse your crystals, start by choosing a private spot that you intuitively feel is sacred and special. This could be somewhere around your home or outside in nature. Dig a hole a few inches deep and leave your crystals in there for a few hours up to two or three days.
If you can’t bury the crystals outside, you can bring some soil into your home. Simply collect some dirt from your place of choice and put it in a large container. Then, as before, dig a hole to bury your crystals.
When you remove your crystals from the earth, gently pat or shake them clean.
Sound Healing or Tibetan Singing Bowls
Sound healing is an ancient practice that uses vibrations from vocals or instruments to create balance, peace, and calm in the mind and body. Many people believe that the power of sound can affect a person or object’s frequencies.
Since crystals are living objects and generate their own vibrations, sound healing is an excellent cleansing method.
Buddhist monks have used Tibetan singing bowls for centuries to aid them in their meditation practice. Singing bowls act as bells, making deep, resonating tones when struck or rubbed. You can use these sounds to help cleanse and clear your crystals.
Begin your sound cleansing ritual by placing the crystals close to you and the Tibetan sound bowl. Then, get into a calm, balanced state and start to slowly move the mallet around the edges of the bowl to create a rich tone.
Continue to focus on having clear thoughts and consciously direct your energy into the gemstones to help program them with good intentions. Do this for a few moments and use your intuition to feel when the practice is complete.
Don’t place the crystals inside the bowls since this could damage them.
How Often Should You Cleanse Your Crystals?
Cleansing crystals is an essential part of their care. But how often do you need to do it? Well, the answer to this question depends on your personal practice.
You may use some crystals more often than others, or you might do heavier energy work with specific stones. These factors can affect how often you need to recharge your stones.
Try cleansing your crystals at least once per month, to begin with. Use your intuition to build up a connection with your collection and get a good feel for which crystals need cleansing more or less often.
If you’ve just brought a new crystal home, you’ll definitely need to cleanse it. This ensures you start with a clean slate and remove any energies already attached to it. You should also cleanse your crystals after sessions that require significant energy use, such as long, complicated rituals or reiki sessions.
Which Crystals Can You Cleanse?
Specific crystals should never be cleansed using particular cleansing methods. On the other hand, some crystals thrive with the input of particular elements.
Some go-to rules to help you navigate different types of crystals include:
- Learn which crystals don’t do well in water
- Don’t leave any crystals in direct sunlight for too long
- Check all your crystals for damage after each cleanse
- Use mobile methods (incense, sage, or sound bowls) for large crystals
Always remember to be gentle with your crystals and pay attention to their unique attributes. For example, some stones respond better to specific cleansing techniques, so use your intuition and discernment to determine the best care practices.
How Should You Store Crystals After Cleansing Them?
Different types of crystals require unique care methods, but you should generally handle your crystals gently. The way you store your crystals after you cleansed them—especially if you’ve just brought them home—will depend on how you use them.
For instance, if you’re actively working with a crystal, you may want to keep it out on your altar. On the other hand, if you’re going to carry a crystal on your person, keep it in a small pouch made of soft material.
As a rule of thumb, keep your crystals in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Sit them on a soft cloth, so you don’t damage your crystals or the surface of your table, bench, or altar.
More Tips for Cleansing Crystals
You’ve probably noticed that you need to have focused intent with any of these crystal cleansing methods. This is important when cleansing and clearing crystals because they hold the vibrations of your energy and desires. This practice is commonly known as “programming crystals.”
The steps for programming crystals include:
- Go to a quiet place where you’re free from distractions and calm your mind
- Try deep breathing and meditation to get to a balanced state
- Place the crystal in your receiving hand (usually the left hand)
- With a clear mind, focus on the specific intention you have for the crystal (for example, citrine helps you improve money and prosperity)
- Take this time to visualize your intentions and focus on sending your energy toward the crystal
- Speak words of affirmation, if you choose
- Stay focused on your thoughts until you intuitively feel the process is complete
Now your crystals are ready for storage and use!
Practice programming your crystals after each cleansing session. In a way, it’s like writing on that chalkboard after you’ve erased the previous day’s scribblings. You’ll have a blank slate ready for the next time you need to manifest.
Learning How to Cleanse Crystals Is Easy
Adding healing crystals to your rituals and daily practices can yield exciting benefits. But there are specific steps you need to take to make sure you’re getting the absolute best experience with your crystal.
Regular cleansing and clearing are essential if you want a crystal’s energy to remain at its most potent.
Becoming experienced with how to cleanse crystals and the various methods involved will help you discover which works best for your stones. Test out different techniques and pay close attention to the responses from your crystals. Also, take the time to learn which crystals are incompatible with which methods.
Are you new to crystals or want to learn more about how they can aid you in your spiritual journey? If yes, take a look at this blog article on the best blue crystals for healing.
Lastly, it’s important to not depend on these practises and beliefs for deep healing in your life. Here’s why.