Firstly, why do crystals need cleansing? Crystals need cleansing as they can pick up and hold onto negative energies which stop the crystals healing properties working to their full potential, essentially, you’re decongesting your crystal.
The most important time to cleanse your crystal is when you first receive it, this is to ensure you are removing any negative energies it has picked up during its lifetime, these are mainly transferred from other people touching the crystal. If you use your crystals for meditation you should always cleanse afterwards as they will have taken on energies from you during the process. If you’re like me and choose to have crystals around you or on your person rather than meditating with them, I would recommend cleansing once a week as a basic guide, this will keep them in top form and working well.
So the big question is how to cleanse your crystals? Well there are various different ways this can be done, which can differ depending on the type of crystal.
Water
One of the easiest and simplest ways is water. Place the crystal under running water
for around a minute per stone, of course a natural water spring or waterfall would be perfect but not exactly practical so tap water is fine. The most important thing to note with this method is this not suitable for all crystals, avoid doing this for any crystals below 5 on the mohs hardness scale, any rough crystals or as a general rule any crystal that ends in ‘ite’ for example, malachite, lepidolite, selenite etc. This is because some crystals can fall apart in water and some can become toxic when wet. (There is a list at the end of unsuitable crystals for this method)
Salt
Another simple way is to use Himalayan Salt, you can pick this up really easily in most supermarkets. Place the crystals into a bowl and cover in the salt until you can’t see them, leave for 24 hours and rinse off in clean water. Make sure you throw the salt away after use. As with above this is not suitable for all crystals these include, malachite, selenite and moonstone.
(There is a list at the end of unsuitable crystals for this method)
Sunlight
This is a great way to cleanse your crystals, but can prove difficult in British weather with all the damp depressing weather we have! Place the crystals outside on a sunny day with little to no clouds, preferably on the earths surface and leave throughout the day. Be sure to put them somewhere safe to ensure they don’t go missing. There are some crystals this isn’t really suitable for due to colour loss caused by light exposure, usually the crystals effected by this are coloured but still see through, these include amethyst, rose quartz and citrine.
(There is a list at the end of unsuitable crystals for this method)
Moonlight
This method is pretty much the same as above but of course during the night, always check the weather forecast for rain first! A full or new moon are preferable as they have super strong energy but a clear night is the main thing, as long as there are little to no clouds and the moonlight can reach the crystals this is ideal.
Crystals
I would say this is the safest way of cleansing as no crystals are exempt, so you can cleanse all your crystals in one go without worrying they might become damaged. Selenite & Clear Quartz are the ones I use for cleansing other crystals, simply place the crystals to be cleansed on top of the selenite or clear quartz, or you can place them in a small bag together, I leave mine around 24 hours to ensure they are fully cleansed.
Smudging
This method requires a little more effort than the last ones I’ve mentioned, smudge sticks can be bought or made yourself. There are various different ways you can make a smudge stick but Sage is the most common choice, you can also use lavender, rosemary, pine or thyme. Bundle the herb together & wrap in cotton twine then you have yourself a smudge stick ready to use! Firstly, make sure you open a window nearby so the negative energies have somewhere to go rather than filling the room, put the crystals into a fireproof bowl and light the end of the smudge stick, you can blow out the flame so it creates a smoke similar to incense. You can wave the smudge stick over the crystals for as long as you feel is necessary, once this is completed your crystals will be cleansed. This method can be used on all crystals.
I hope this has simplified how to cleanse your crystals ready for use, I know when I first started out I had no idea what I was doing and to be honest writing this has reminded me I need to go cleanse mine!!
Take Care,
Lapid Art Crystals
Avoid Water/Salt
Angelite, Amazonite, Amber, Apatite, Aquamarine, Apophyllite, Calcite, Chrysocolla, Fire opal, Fluorite, Halite (Himalayan Salt), Hematite, Topaz, Kunzite, Lapis Lazuli, Labradorite, Lepidolite, Malachite, Magnetite, Moonstone, Pyrite, Rhodonite, Ruby, Red Jasper, Selenite, Sodalite, Snowflake Obsidian, Turquoise, Tourmaline. If you are unsure and its not on the list check the mohs scale, anything under 5 we would advise not to cleanse in water or salt.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
Amethyst, Ametrine, Apatite, Apophyllite, Aquamarine, Auralite 23, Aventurine, Calcite, Celestite, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Clear Quartz, Fluorite, Hiddenite, Kunzite, Opal, Prasolite, Rose Quartz, Sapphire, Spirit Quartz, Smoky Quartz, Super Seven, Topaz, Turquoise, Unakite Jasper. The colours can fade if in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time.