Crystals have certainly been making waves in interior styling but they’re said to be able to do a lot more than just look beautiful. It is believed that every crystal possesses unique qualities — from healing to protection.
But to actually make the most of these qualities, your crystals have to be cleansed and recharged regularly. This helps release any negative energy the crystals may have absorbed and to renew their energy to suit your needs. Think of it like cleaning cooking utensils, you don’t want to cook with dirty dishes.
So keep scrolling as we cover the best ways cleanse crystals and then recharge them.
Related article: 10 most popular crystals and their properties
Related article: Room-by-room guide to using crystals: What crystals to use and where in your home
When should you cleanse your crystals?
Ideally you want to cleanse your crystals monthly. It’s a general rule of thumb that ensures your crystals are ready to go when you are.
It’s also highly recommended that your cleanse crystals as soon as they arrive at your home. Even if you purchased the crystals in a store, think of all the hands, surfaces and energies the crystal may have encountered on its journey to you.
Finally, if you’re a keen user of healing crystals, you’ll want to cleanse your crystals after every use.
What are the best ways to cleanse your crystals?
There are many ways you can cleanse your crystals and we’re going to run through the 10 most commonly used techniques. It’s important to keep in mind that not all crystals can be cleansed in all of these ways so be sure to know the type of crystal you have. For example, moisture sensitive crystals shouldn’t be cleansed under running water.
1. Running water
Water is said to be one of the best elements to neutralise negative energy in your crystals. Ideally you’ll want to place the crystals in a natural running water source — like a stream.
However, if these aren’t available to you, holding each crystal under a running tap for one minute will do the trick. Pat dry when you’ve finished.
You can take it one step further by holding and speaking your intentions of removing all negative energy as you hold the crystal in the water.
This is probably one of the easiest ways to cleanse crystals in your home, but just make sure your crystal is not moisture sensitive or brittle. Hard crystals like quartz, amethyst and citrine are all safe to be cleansed in water.
2. Smoke cleansing
An ancient ritual used by many Indigenous cultures around the world, smudging is said to purify objects and can purify your crystals. Many people often cleanse crystals by using the smoke of sage, incense or palo santo holy wood.
Do this by lighting either of these and holding the crystals above the smoke, allowing your pieces to gently absorb the cleansing smoke.
If you don’t have any available to you, you can also use a candle for a quick smoke cleanse.
This is a great choice for porous stones as the smoke won’t affect the structure of the crystals.
3. Saltwater
Fresh water isn’t the only type of water that can be used to absorb unwanted energy, saltwater is especially good for this.
You can collect fresh sea water from the ocean, or mix together a tablespoon of rock, table or sea salt into a bowl.
Submerge your crystals in the water for around a hour before removing, rinsing with fresh water and patting dry.
Again, make sure your crystals aren’t porous.
4. Brown rice
Yes, you can even treat your crystal like a broken phone and cover it in brown rice. Said to be especially beneficial for protective crystals, this method draws our negativity in a contained way.
To use this method, simply fill a bowl with dry brown rice and place your stone in the centre. Cover the stone with the grain and leave for about 24 hours.
Dispose of the rice immediately afterwards.
5. Purpose made cleanser
Another simple way to purify your crystals is through the use of a purpose made cleanser. From smudging sprays to crystal infused clearing mist sprays, there are many types to choose from. You only need a spritz or two on each crystal.
6. Natural light
You can use the natural light from the moon and sun to cleanse your crystals. Set the stone outside just before nightfall and retrieve it in the morning, before it gets too hot. This allows the stone to bathe in the light of the moon and sun.
Preferably you’ll want to place the stone on soil or a natural surface, but even a windowsill will do. If you place the crystals on the earth, you may need to rinse and dry it afterwards to remove any dirt.
This crystal cleansing method is especially good for tumbled stones, but can work for most. However, it isn’t recommended for vibrant or soft stones like calcite, which may be damaged by the light.
7. Sound healing
If you have a large collection of crystals and moving them all is too much work, this is for you. And it only takes about 5-10 minutes!
Whether through chanting, singing bowls or even a nice bell, sound healing allows a single tone to wash over a room or space.
There are an abundance of sound healing instruments available for you to choose from. While it doesn’t matter what key the sound is in, the sound just needs to be loud enough to cover and encompass the stone.
8. Other crystals
Some crystals have the ability to cleanse other crystals and this method is safe for all crystals. Stones like Carnelian, Clear Quartz and Selenite are especially good clearing stones. However, you may need more than one crystal to clear others.
To use this method, place the clearing stones in a spot where they will not be disturbed. Then, place the crystals you are cleansing on top of them. Leave for about 24 hours.
9. Burying crystals in soil
Burying crystals in the soil connects them back to Earth, which can have profound cleansing affects.
Find a quiet spot in your backyard or garden. Bury the crystals a few centimetres deep. Ensure the crystals are completely covered, but leave a marker for yourself.
You can leave them for 24 hours or even a few days, just be sure to rinse them clean and pat dry to remove any dirt.
10. Breathwork
Although you may feel a little ridiculous trying this cleansing method, it can be really effective on small stones.
Simply hold the crystal close to your mouth in your dominant hand and then focus your intention of cleansing the crystal. Take in a big breath through your nostrils and exhale quick, powerful breaths through your mouth onto the crystals.
You only needs to do this for about 30 seconds for each stone.
Charging your crystals
Along with cleansing your crystals, it’s important to recharge your crystals before you set your attentions. Charging your crystals is said to intensify the energy in the crystal to allow the crystal to work effectively.
There are a variety of ways to recharge crystals, including:
- moonlight — it is said that charging your crystals in the light of a full moon is one of the most powerful recharging methods. Simply place your crystals outside, preferably on a natural surface, but avoid moisture
- moonwater — for non-water sensitive crystals, this is another great option. We found a DIY to make your own moonwater, which you can submerge your crystals in for around an hour
- sunlight — charging your crystals in direct sunlight for 12 hours is said to charge crystals with abundance, love and vitality. Just be sure they are a hard, non-vibrant stones that won’t weather from the heat
- carnelian — place your crystals on a piece of carnelian for 24 hours
- salt bath — place your hard crystals in sea salt and leave overnight.
Many of the 10 crystal cleansing ideas above can also be used to recharge your crystals, it’s all about what suits your lifestyle and crystals.
Set your intentions
Founder of Higher+Self, Soud recommends two steps for setting your intentions, which you may have seen in our room-by-room crystal guide.
Firstly, set your intentions by holding crystals one by one and saying what you would like your crystal to support you in. This can be a goal for the upcoming month, a wish or even your hopes for the future.
Soud also suggests writing your intentions down on a piece of paper and placing a clear quartz point on top of your paper. Leave the paper and point together for a few weeks to help with your manifestations. This will help further amplify your intentions.
We hope this guide to crystal cleansing is helpful. Which of these methods do you use to cleanse crystals? Do you any other ideas or suggestions you’d like to share? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
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