Cleansing Crystals

We recommend everyone cleanses their new crystals to remove the energy of all the people that came into contact with the crystal prior to themselves.   

There are many ways crystals can be cleansed and charged.  Here we have just listed a few of the more popular and well known. When deciding which method to use, just let your intuition guide you and do what feels right for you.

• Cleansing a crystal/mineral in sea water or salt water is a very popular method most people have heard of. Unfortunately many crystals/minerals have been damaged by this process as not all crystals/minerals either “like” water or “like” salt for a variety of pretty important reasons, such as, they dissolve in water over a long period of time (like selenite) or they rust in salt water (like pyrite). The list of crystals to keep away from either salt or water is quite lengthy, so you may be guided to use alternative methods of cleansing that are just as effective, or even better as you still get to keep the crystal/mineral at the end…..(see below for other cleansing alternatives).  Crystals/minerals to keep away from either salt water or plain water include: the desert rose, opals, pyrite, lapis lazuli, hematite, malachite, turquoise, azurite, all calcites, gypsum, angelate, halite, magnetite, moonstone, amber, red coral or lodestone, celestite, aquamarine, ruby, garnet, fluorite amozonite, witherite, cinnabar, amber, kyanite, kunzite, dioptase, onyx, howlite, tigers eye, labradorite, agate and carnelian. There may be more, make sure you do your research!! It is also important to remember to not clean rough or raw stones using this method, or those with a hardness of less than 7.  Again, you do your research first!!!

• Another method is to place crystals in a bed of dry sea salt, again make sure you know which type of crystal to use.

• As an alternative to salt some people recommend brown rice as it is said to be gentle on the crystal/mineral while still effectively cleansing it.  This is said to be good for protective stones such as tourmaline.  Make sure you discard the rice afterwards as it will contain the negative energy of the crystal- you don’t want to be reusing that for anything else….

• Smudge the crystal/mineral with herbs or resins such as sage or palo santo.  This is a method I regularly use as it is so easy!! 

• Place crystals/minerals on another crystal such as amethyst, citrine or kyanite.  These crystals are said to be self-cleansing and are able to remove negative energy from other crystals/minerals and charge them with positive energy.  I like doing this with jewelry- just put my jewels in my amethyst geode and it comes out “all sparkly and new”
• Sitting quietly in mediation and visualizing the crystal/mineral being surround by white light and asking the negative energy be transformed into positive is also a good technique.  If you do any energy work, such as reiki, you can hold the crystal while you attune to that energy.  You can also hold it in your hands while you say a simple prayer.  Intent is so important with everything you do!!

• Some crystals can be quickly cleansed and charged with flowing water eg put them in a fast moving river, or in a modern urban home, use a tap to symbolically represent a river.  Again, know your crystals….having said that some crystals can receive a quick “dunking” if it is immediately wiped dry with a soft cloth.  I do like this method as it is simple and quick….but I will only do this with my quartz crystals.  I also visualize white light coming out of the tap and cleansing the crystal.

• Place the crystal outside under a full moon and let the moon charge the crystal.  You may also do this with sunlight however some crystals may fade over time with sunlight exposure, such as amethyst.  The moon provides a gentle yin energy while the sun provide a stronger yang energy.  Some people like exposing their crystals to both types of energy at the one time, others like keeping them separate, again, follow your intuition and do what feels right for you.

• Another popular method is placing the crystal in a garden bed, or burying them in the earth as this will naturally cleanse any negativity from the crystal.  This is because the earth’s natural electromagnetic energies will automatically reconnect to the crystal cleansing and recharging it.  When I am organised I like putting my crystals in a garden bed under a full moon- this is my preferred method of cleansing.

• Another really easy method that is often used in retail shops is to place the crystal in a singing bowl and let the sound vibration do the cleansing. This is another simple, but really effective technique to use. You can also use a nice bell or tuning fork, any nice sound vibration will clear negative energy from the crystal/mineral.

There are a few crystals that are self cleansing, such as selenite, citrine, kyanite, super 7, and azeztulit.  These stones are said to either vibrate at such a high energy they don’t need cleansing or they just don’t store negative energy.

There are many more methods that can be used, this is just a short list.  Be guided by what feels right for you, and what feels right for the crystal you are working with.