Cleaning your crystals

As soon as you have your Crystal, the first thing you need to do is cleanse it, it has been on a long journey from wherever it was mined and will have been through the hands of many on its journey to you. You want to start your time together with it filled with positive energy for you.

Crystals also need regular cleansing if they are being used for healing or support in day to day life, and don’t forget that even if they are just sitting in a room apparently doing nothing they will be soaking up the energies of you and everyone else who enter it so will still need cleaning. If you use your crystals for professional healing they must be cleaned between each patient.

A WORD OF WARNING; Some crystals, like Angelite, Selenite, Aragonite and Celestite ( a clue in the name-most crystals ending in “ite” are water soluble), and some marbles and pearls are sensitive to salt or water and their surfaces can be damaged very quickly in a salt bath. There are also quite a few crystals that are either fully or partially water soluble so be very careful to check before you immerse them. If you look in our ” MOHS SCALE ” article in the articles section on our home page - it will give you the hardness of most of the crystals we have on the site and tells you which are safe to use around water.

The most important part of cleansing a crystal is your intention, before you do it, in your mind or out loud, state that your intention is to remove/wash away any and all negative energies from your crystal, that it may return to its most perfect energetic state of light/love (or whatever you have programmed it for).

Here are some choices for cleansing:

AN ANCHOR CLEANSING CRYSTAL – Clusters and geodes work well, just place the crystals that need cleaning, on, or next to the anchor crystal, cluster or geode and leave for 24hrs or so.

The cleansing crystal should ideally be programmed for this use, but will still work if you focus your intention. You need a stone/crystal that is specifically known to clean other crystals, such as Carnelian, citrine or clear quartz.

If you use pouches with several crystals in regularly it is great to keep a carnelian tumble stone in with them to keep them clean.

Carnelian is the most popular choice to use as an anchor stone as they don’t  NEED cleaning themselves, though I find they do really appreciate  being rinsed off and re-charged  regularly, and a happy crystal is an effective crystal!

WATER AND SEA SALT – One option is using a salt water bath - a generous tablespoon of sea salt per half pint of water - for crystals that are able to take salt and water. Salt is really good for removing negative energies from most crystals, and they always feel very clear afterwards.

But do be super CAUTIOUS with this method, always check if your crystal is water soluble - also if the crystal is soft the salt can scratch the surface, and if it is water soluble this can do serious damage making it dissolve, break apart or dull the sheen on the surface.

SEA SALT – (Use with caution as the salt can be caustic to some softer crystals) Fill a glass/ceramic bowl/cup with sea salt, deep enough to immerse your crystal,  (Don’t use table salt as it contains extras that are not in the best interest of cleaning your stone).  Place the stone with the point downward in the sea salt and leave 24 hours.

MOONLIGHT – This should only be done on the night of the full moon, a clear night is a big bonus for this to work effectively.

SMUDGE – Sage is the most commonly used but, frankincense and cedar can be also used to smudge the stone. Personally I find the stones feel a bit choked up using smudging but some people prefer it, again, go with what feels right for you you will probably find you prefer different things for different stones, though inevitably one technique will appeal to you more than others.

EARTH – Finally putting your crystals on or in the earth. If they feel very dirty energetically, burying them in it, is a lovely way to clean them, but as always be careful with the softer stones if the earth is wet - you can put them in a thin waterproof bag and bury that, leave for 24 hours or so then rinse.

I am a big believer in re-charging them too, my favourite way to do this is either in the sunlight which I find is better for people who are very emotional or moonlight for those who are perhaps a little too practical and need some help getting in touch with their emotions. Or to reiki them if you've been trained.

Your new Crystal is your friend and will serve you well forever, but like all of the best friendships, you do need to look after them too!