Crystals are prettyyy, but if you really want to work with crystals' energy, you can’t just stick ’em on a shelf and look at ’em. These lil beauts are believed to vibrate at frequencies that we can work with, and that means they can pick up and hold on to the energy around them. You have to take care of your crystals in order to access their energy. And an important part of that is cleansing and charging them. No soap or charging cord required.
Why is it important to cleanse your crystals?
Crystals have a ~memory~. They absorb the energy of whatever’s around them — the people who handle them, the environments they travel through, the gross vibes from the gum wrapper next to ’em in your purse. If you just got a new crystal buddy, who knows where that lil guy has been before it made its way to your bedroom? Sometimes the energies it picks up on are in direct opposition to the crystal’s innate traits or oppose what we want to use the crystal to attract into our life. Those acquired energies can simply ~clog up~ the crystal, blocking it from working as it should. Cleansing sweeps away all those clingy vibes and brings the crystal back to its natural, pure state. Then it’ll be able to work the way you want it to.
How often should you cleanse your crystals?
Cleanse your crystals whenever you get new ones and definitely before you use them for the first time. If you have crystals you’ve owned for years but never cleansed, that’s okay! You can start now.
If you’ve been wearing your crystal (like on a necklace) or carrying it around all day (in your purse, pocket, or bra), it doesn’t hurt to cleanse them when you get home, especially if someone else has handled them. Crystals that you use for decor should take a once-a-month trip to the ~crystal spa~.
12 ways to cleanse your crystals
There are lots of ways to cleanse your crystals. Here are a few:
Your Crystal Cleansing Toolkit
Spiritual Protection and Cleansing Aid
Lily of the Valley Incense Sticks
Moon and Stars Ceramic Incense Holder
Small Handbell
Natural & Organic White Sage Cleansing Spray
Coppermoon Brown Moon Shelf
Selenite Crystal Charging Plate
Clear Quartz Crystal Point Necklace
TrifectaBotanicals Crystal Cleansing Shelf
Cleansing crystals with running water
Water is an easy and popular way to cleanse your crystals. You can run your crystals under a faucet for a minute and pat them dry. If you want to get really witchy, you can seek out a natural source of running water, like a river or stream.
Cleansing your crystals with saltwater
Another popular way to cleanse crystals is with saltwater. If you live near an ocean (or are travelling near one), you can take your crystal to the beach and have it take a little swim. If you don't live near saltwater, you can make some at home by mixing some salt into a bowl of water.
Cleansing crystals with rice
To banish any clingy bad vibes, cover your crystal in brown rice for 24 hours. The rice will soak up the ~bad vibes~ leaving your crystal just like new. Yep, just like a broken phone. (Make sure you get rid of the rice afterward.)
Cleansing crystals with sunlight and moonlight
Leave your crystal on a windowsill, in natural light, from dusk until dawn, for at least 12 hours. That way, they’ll get a cleansing dose of both sunlight and moonlight. Bonus: do this during a Full Moon for some extra-powerful vibes.
Cleansing crystals with salt
Submerge your crystal pals in a bowl of water and rock salt for a few hours to super-cleanse them. Or if you're near an ocean, go fill a bucket or tupperware with some ocean water. Then, pat them dry. One caveat: this is a great way to cleanse hard stones, like quartz, but not soft or porous stones, like calcite.
Cleansing crystals with sound
If you have a giant crystal that’s difficult to move around or just a large collection (jeal), you can try sound cleansing. Sound a single tone or pitch (by chanting or using a tuning fork, a singing bowl, or even a cute lil bell) near your pals for five to 10 minutes.
Cleansing crystals with earth or dirt
You can bury your crystals underground (or bring a box of dirt inside) for some powerful cleansing vibes. Alternately, you can simply place your crystal on top of the ground. Just make sure you choose somewhere where you won't lose it.
Cleansing crystals with smoke
Light incense, dried herbs, or a candle near your crystal and let the smoke waft over it for at least a minute. Just make sure you don't set off your smoke detector!
Cleansing crystals with spray
If you don't like to play with fire, you can also use a spray that contains special herbs or essential oils.
Cleansing crystals with breath
Hold your crystal in your dominant hand (or both hands) as you deeply inhale. Then, lift up the stone so it's close to your face. Breath out sharply through your nose onto your crystal. (Skip this one if you have a cold!)
Cleansing crystals with meditation and visualization
A lot of people like to combine this technique with meditation. Either meditate or simply center your thoughts for a few minutes while you hold your crystal, and then picture light flowing out from your body, through your hands, and into your crystal.
Cleansing your crystals with other crystals
Yes, this is a thing! You can charge one large crystal and then place your other, smaller crystals on or around it to absorb its energy. Or, you can do the opposite: charge smaller stones and then place them on or near a larger crystal.
What does it mean to charge your crystals?
Whatever you do with your crystals, they will eventually (a) pick up negative vibes (and need cleansing) and (b) run out of energy (and need recharging), just like a battery. Therefore, we need to cleanse the crystal and then charge it. Cleansing removes bad vibes, and charging restores a crystal’s natural power and attributes. You need both to get your crystals in the best shape possible!
What’s the best way to charge your crystals?
The good news is that the easiest way to cleanse AND charge your crystals at the same time is…SUNLIGHT. Leave them out in daylight on a windowsill for 30 minutes (even on a cloudy day), and the Sun will do the job. Some people like to charge their crystals under the light of a Full Moon, although not everyone thinks this is a potent enough power to charge a crystal.
If you have a large crystal cluster (particularly quartz, selenite, or amethyst), you can charge that, then place smaller crystals (like tumbled stones or jewelry) on it to absorb the cluster’s energy and recharge. (But then you have to cleanse and recharge your cluster too, so, yeah, maybe sunlight is easiest!)
