Cleaning Crystals
Why clean crystals
Before it arrives in your hands, a crystal would have passed through many other hands and have travelled far from its origins. A good cleanse will remove any impurities and negativity it has collected along the way and prepare it to work better with you.
There are specific steps you need to follow to get the full benefits of your crystals and cleaning crystals is much more than simply cleaning the grime from their outer surface. By performing a process of purification we free the crystals from the negative energies they may have accumulated over time as crystals are capable of accidentally absorbing vibrations from the environment as they travel or are used. Crystals cannot distinguish good from bad - they can only pick up energies they come in contact with. Without carrying out these steps, your crystal will be contaminated by these accumulated energies and may not perform as required.
Each time the crystal has been used this cleansing routine should be repeated. There are several techniques, choose the one that you find best for your crystals. Do be aware that there is no such thing as a fixed method for cleaning the crystals; something that works for other people does not automatically make it right for you. Just like choosing the right crystal to use for your needs, you should use the cleansing method that you feel works best for you and after trying out the various methods of cleaning you will know which best fits you and your chosen crystals.
Water
This is probably the most popular method and water from natural sources is excellent for crystal cleansing so if you have rain water, or water from a spring, stream, or sacred source, use this.
Salt water cleansing is considered one of the best and most thorough ways to cleanse crystals, place crystals gently into a container of lukewarm water, add a teaspoon of sea salt and leave to soak for 8 hours. Afterwards, rinse them thoroughly in clean water and gently pat them dry or put them to dry out in the sun (not amethyst as this can fade) or natural daylight; throw the used water onto the garden soil so the earth can absorb any negativity in the cleansing water.
Please be aware that this method must be avoided for certain crystals as it can have an adverse effect on them and even change their appearance and properties! Stones that should not be soaked in salt water include crystals that are porous, contain metal or have water content, for example opal, selenite and hematite.
Stones and minerals that should be kept away from salt include pyrite, lapis lazuli, opal and hematite; always check first.
Running water is a good cleaning agent for crystals, especially for the quartz family (amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, clear quartz). Hold your crystal under a stream of water such as a river, waterfall, or from the tap for a few minutes. If you use a tap, it is advisable to place a cloth at the bottom of the sink to prevent the crystal from breaking, in case an accidental slip happens. Dry your crystal with a soft, clean cloth or put it under direct sunlight and let it dry naturally. The same warning as above applies; some crystals should not be put into water, especially soft stones like azurite, angelite, phenakite, selenite and similar.
Crystals can be cleaned by using water and essential oils; place them in a container filled with distilled water in which a few drops of essential oil have been added and leave for a few hours. The juniper essential oil is especially suitable due to its capability of releasing the crystals from the accumulated negative energies. For cleaning stones used in emotional healing, lavender oil is the best choice, since it has soothing and balancing features.
Smudging
Another popular and one of the least invasive methods of cleaning crystals would be exposing them to smoke; this method of cleansing crystals is called ‘smudging’. This involves burning either Smudge Sticks or Incense Sticks and holding the crystals in the smoke to cleanse the stored energies. Put the incense stick below your crystal, allowing for a better exposure of your crystal to the smoke; this is also an excellent way of purifying yourself and your environment.
Several types of incense are specifically recommended for this because, when burned, they release certain elements into the air via the smoke which can effectively remove bad and built-up energies. Incense of herbal origin and organic if possible, like cedar, salvia, juniper, or pine tree work the best.
The following incense is particularly recommended for effective smudging: sage, sweet-grass, sandalwood or cedar wood. A feather can be used to fan the smoke across the crystals and this only needs to be done for a short amount of time. 20 to 30 seconds should be long enough.
Smudge sticks are made up of either white sage alone or mixed with lavender. Some may have other fragrant herbs in them as well. Sage smoke is powerful to cleanse both your stones and the environment where they live.
Purification of crystals can also be successfully performed in a candle flame; pass the crystal through the flame several times.
Burying
Another means of cleaning crystals is to bury them in the earth. This method should not be used when there is iron present in the composition of the crystal as a dominant element, e.g., hematite, pyrite and tiger iron. Especially unrefined energies can be taken out of the crystal in this way, it can be a sort of a rebirth for the particular crystal to be put back into the embrace of the earth - the environment from which it was originally taken. Bury your crystals in sand, garden soil, natural loam, or clay. It is preferable to bury your crystals in the Earth, so they can absorb from the Earth's resonance but this method is slow and gentle. Duration can range from 1 day to several days or even months. Obviously the longer the crystal is buried, the deeper the cleansing.
If you don’t have access to outside ground then a pot of earth or compost indoors with a house plant in it with have a living resonance. If you do bury outside make sure that you know if the stone is one that can take water, in case rain seeps through to where they are located and remember, do mark where you put them so that you can find them again!
You can also bury in salt. The salt method is to take a glass or ceramic bowl, half-fill with sea salt and place your crystals directly into contact with the salt; either bury them into the dry salt or leave them on the surface. They should be left in the salt for several hours, overnight or for several days. Your crystals should then be rinsed thoroughly under cool running water to remove any remaining salt. After use, the salt must never be re-used; it should be thrown away because it will have absorbed negative and unwanted energies.
Again, take care when placing your crystals directly onto or into dry salt as the salt can have an adverse effect on some crystals, see salt water cleansing
Another alternative is to use uncooked brown rice, this is a simple technique that will cleanse your stones while your sleep. Place your crystals inside a bowl of uncooked brown rice making sure they are completely surrounded with grains of rice, so that they are "in the dark" so to speak and keep them in the rice overnight. The rice will naturally draw out any impurities or negative energies that the crystal has absorbed over time.
In the morning remove the crystals and place them in sunlight for an hour to re-energize them with sun-healing vibrations. Be careful not to leave certain stones in the bright sunlight for longer periods as they may fade.
Also, discard the brown rice; do not consume rice that has been used as an energetic cleanser. Instead, you can honour the rice for its service with a simple ritual. Give thanks to the rice and simply return it to the earth for recycling. You can do this either by scattering it upon the ground, adding it to your compost heap or burying it.
Other methods
Some crystals are self cleaning like citrine, kyanite and selenite; also azulite, diamond, phenakite and apophilite - they take care of themselves. You can also cleanse and charge your crystal with other crystals. A crystal can be placed on a large crystal cluster or generator (single large quartz crystal.) These crystal cluster formations (both Amethyst and Quartz) have the ability to absorb the energies contained within crystals, neutralise the energies and then release ’good’ energy from the cluster back into the crystals being cleansed, so they can effectively cleanse and energise at the same time.
Carnelian can also cleanse other stones. It can be helpful to keep Carnelian in a bag of tumbled stones; you will never need to cleanse the tumbled stones by any other method.
Sound cleansing uses the vibration or musical notes to bring a crystal’s natural resonance back into balance. You can use various instruments like the piano, drums, bell, a tuning fork even your voice. Simply sound your chosen musical instrument near a stone until you feel it is cleansed; to get a better result from your crystals, only clean one crystal at a time rather than cleaning many crystals at the same time.
If the stones are small you may put them into a crystal singing bowl. For bigger items... place them close to the bowl... then play the bowl for a few minutes. The lovely crystal bowl music is very powerful and the sounds emitted by the bowl will resonate throughout the room. As the strong vibration of the pure crystalline sound of your crystal singing bowl fills the crystals... it will drive out any negative energy. This will lift the vibration of any of your crystals that are close by and the room will also be filled with good vibrations too.
The moonlight has a powerful influence that will re-energize your crystals and allow them to lift their vibrations naturally. A good time to for cleansing crystals is at the time of the full moon... when it is at its brightest. Place them somewhere in or outside your home where they will be in the moonlight for as long as possible and leave them there overnight, absorbing the energy of the moon; their vibrations will naturally re-energize.
Whatever method you choose, you should clean your crystals on a regular basis, but the time interval depends on the intensity of their use. If your crystals only decorate your shelves, cleaning once a couple of months should be enough; crystals that you use every day should be purified once a week.
Before it arrives in your hands, a crystal would have passed through many other hands and have travelled far from its origins. A good cleanse will remove any impurities and negativity it has collected along the way and prepare it to work better with you.
There are specific steps you need to follow to get the full benefits of your crystals and cleaning crystals is much more than simply cleaning the grime from their outer surface. By performing a process of purification we free the crystals from the negative energies they may have accumulated over time as crystals are capable of accidentally absorbing vibrations from the environment as they travel or are used. Crystals cannot distinguish good from bad - they can only pick up energies they come in contact with. Without carrying out these steps, your crystal will be contaminated by these accumulated energies and may not perform as required.
Each time the crystal has been used this cleansing routine should be repeated. There are several techniques, choose the one that you find best for your crystals. Do be aware that there is no such thing as a fixed method for cleaning the crystals; something that works for other people does not automatically make it right for you. Just like choosing the right crystal to use for your needs, you should use the cleansing method that you feel works best for you and after trying out the various methods of cleaning you will know which best fits you and your chosen crystals.
Water
This is probably the most popular method and water from natural sources is excellent for crystal cleansing so if you have rain water, or water from a spring, stream, or sacred source, use this.
Salt water cleansing is considered one of the best and most thorough ways to cleanse crystals, place crystals gently into a container of lukewarm water, add a teaspoon of sea salt and leave to soak for 8 hours. Afterwards, rinse them thoroughly in clean water and gently pat them dry or put them to dry out in the sun (not amethyst as this can fade) or natural daylight; throw the used water onto the garden soil so the earth can absorb any negativity in the cleansing water.
Please be aware that this method must be avoided for certain crystals as it can have an adverse effect on them and even change their appearance and properties! Stones that should not be soaked in salt water include crystals that are porous, contain metal or have water content, for example opal, selenite and hematite.
Stones and minerals that should be kept away from salt include pyrite, lapis lazuli, opal and hematite; always check first.
Running water is a good cleaning agent for crystals, especially for the quartz family (amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, clear quartz). Hold your crystal under a stream of water such as a river, waterfall, or from the tap for a few minutes. If you use a tap, it is advisable to place a cloth at the bottom of the sink to prevent the crystal from breaking, in case an accidental slip happens. Dry your crystal with a soft, clean cloth or put it under direct sunlight and let it dry naturally. The same warning as above applies; some crystals should not be put into water, especially soft stones like azurite, angelite, phenakite, selenite and similar.
Crystals can be cleaned by using water and essential oils; place them in a container filled with distilled water in which a few drops of essential oil have been added and leave for a few hours. The juniper essential oil is especially suitable due to its capability of releasing the crystals from the accumulated negative energies. For cleaning stones used in emotional healing, lavender oil is the best choice, since it has soothing and balancing features.
Smudging
Another popular and one of the least invasive methods of cleaning crystals would be exposing them to smoke; this method of cleansing crystals is called ‘smudging’. This involves burning either Smudge Sticks or Incense Sticks and holding the crystals in the smoke to cleanse the stored energies. Put the incense stick below your crystal, allowing for a better exposure of your crystal to the smoke; this is also an excellent way of purifying yourself and your environment.
Several types of incense are specifically recommended for this because, when burned, they release certain elements into the air via the smoke which can effectively remove bad and built-up energies. Incense of herbal origin and organic if possible, like cedar, salvia, juniper, or pine tree work the best.
The following incense is particularly recommended for effective smudging: sage, sweet-grass, sandalwood or cedar wood. A feather can be used to fan the smoke across the crystals and this only needs to be done for a short amount of time. 20 to 30 seconds should be long enough.
Smudge sticks are made up of either white sage alone or mixed with lavender. Some may have other fragrant herbs in them as well. Sage smoke is powerful to cleanse both your stones and the environment where they live.
Purification of crystals can also be successfully performed in a candle flame; pass the crystal through the flame several times.
Burying
Another means of cleaning crystals is to bury them in the earth. This method should not be used when there is iron present in the composition of the crystal as a dominant element, e.g., hematite, pyrite and tiger iron. Especially unrefined energies can be taken out of the crystal in this way, it can be a sort of a rebirth for the particular crystal to be put back into the embrace of the earth - the environment from which it was originally taken. Bury your crystals in sand, garden soil, natural loam, or clay. It is preferable to bury your crystals in the Earth, so they can absorb from the Earth's resonance but this method is slow and gentle. Duration can range from 1 day to several days or even months. Obviously the longer the crystal is buried, the deeper the cleansing.
If you don’t have access to outside ground then a pot of earth or compost indoors with a house plant in it with have a living resonance. If you do bury outside make sure that you know if the stone is one that can take water, in case rain seeps through to where they are located and remember, do mark where you put them so that you can find them again!
You can also bury in salt. The salt method is to take a glass or ceramic bowl, half-fill with sea salt and place your crystals directly into contact with the salt; either bury them into the dry salt or leave them on the surface. They should be left in the salt for several hours, overnight or for several days. Your crystals should then be rinsed thoroughly under cool running water to remove any remaining salt. After use, the salt must never be re-used; it should be thrown away because it will have absorbed negative and unwanted energies.
Again, take care when placing your crystals directly onto or into dry salt as the salt can have an adverse effect on some crystals, see salt water cleansing
Another alternative is to use uncooked brown rice, this is a simple technique that will cleanse your stones while your sleep. Place your crystals inside a bowl of uncooked brown rice making sure they are completely surrounded with grains of rice, so that they are "in the dark" so to speak and keep them in the rice overnight. The rice will naturally draw out any impurities or negative energies that the crystal has absorbed over time.
In the morning remove the crystals and place them in sunlight for an hour to re-energize them with sun-healing vibrations. Be careful not to leave certain stones in the bright sunlight for longer periods as they may fade.
Also, discard the brown rice; do not consume rice that has been used as an energetic cleanser. Instead, you can honour the rice for its service with a simple ritual. Give thanks to the rice and simply return it to the earth for recycling. You can do this either by scattering it upon the ground, adding it to your compost heap or burying it.
Other methods
Some crystals are self cleaning like citrine, kyanite and selenite; also azulite, diamond, phenakite and apophilite - they take care of themselves. You can also cleanse and charge your crystal with other crystals. A crystal can be placed on a large crystal cluster or generator (single large quartz crystal.) These crystal cluster formations (both Amethyst and Quartz) have the ability to absorb the energies contained within crystals, neutralise the energies and then release ’good’ energy from the cluster back into the crystals being cleansed, so they can effectively cleanse and energise at the same time.
Carnelian can also cleanse other stones. It can be helpful to keep Carnelian in a bag of tumbled stones; you will never need to cleanse the tumbled stones by any other method.
Sound cleansing uses the vibration or musical notes to bring a crystal’s natural resonance back into balance. You can use various instruments like the piano, drums, bell, a tuning fork even your voice. Simply sound your chosen musical instrument near a stone until you feel it is cleansed; to get a better result from your crystals, only clean one crystal at a time rather than cleaning many crystals at the same time.
If the stones are small you may put them into a crystal singing bowl. For bigger items... place them close to the bowl... then play the bowl for a few minutes. The lovely crystal bowl music is very powerful and the sounds emitted by the bowl will resonate throughout the room. As the strong vibration of the pure crystalline sound of your crystal singing bowl fills the crystals... it will drive out any negative energy. This will lift the vibration of any of your crystals that are close by and the room will also be filled with good vibrations too.
The moonlight has a powerful influence that will re-energize your crystals and allow them to lift their vibrations naturally. A good time to for cleansing crystals is at the time of the full moon... when it is at its brightest. Place them somewhere in or outside your home where they will be in the moonlight for as long as possible and leave them there overnight, absorbing the energy of the moon; their vibrations will naturally re-energize.
Whatever method you choose, you should clean your crystals on a regular basis, but the time interval depends on the intensity of their use. If your crystals only decorate your shelves, cleaning once a couple of months should be enough; crystals that you use every day should be purified once a week.
