Lifestyle
How to Cleanse Crystals Safely | A Knowledgeable Guide
As crystals continue gaining popularity due to their profound healing qualities, many wonder how to cleanse crystals and reset them of negative energies. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways: through sound frequencies (like singing bowls or toning), exposure to sunlight or moonlight, smudging with sage smoke – the possibilities go on! Not only that, but these glimmering objects have so much more power than we realize, from insomnia relief to dream recall enhancement.
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How I use crystals around the home.
I have a large collection of crystals and use them all over the home for protection.
- I use Black Obsidian and Black Tourmaline for protection around the home. These are believed to disperse negative energy from the atmosphere.
- I use Tiger’s Eye when I need a little bit of strength and concentration, and I particularly like to have those in the space where I work.
- I use Lapis Lazuli to help with insomnia and improve dream recall
- I have Rose Quartz lamps like this one around the home to encourage love and harmony within our family space.
To read more about the best protection crystals for use around the home, you can read this post.
From decorating the living room to providing a sense of well-being in your office, crystals have become an essential part of many people’s lives. Ensuring that these special stones remain balanced and recharged is key to unlocking their full benefits.
Why is it necessary to cleanse crystals?
Crystals have many wonderful properties, and we now know that it’s important to cleanse them before use. Through their journey from the earth and into our homes, they may travel a long way and come in contact with a variety of energies, some positive and some not. To ensure any negative vibrations don’t impact your home, give those sparkly crystals a fresh start by cleansing them back to their natural state! It isn’t complicated; there are plenty of methods available for doing this at home. Some of my favorites include smudging with sage, setting them out in the moonlight, or even burying them in the earth for a short time.
Once you have cleansed your crystals, it’s important to activate their energy so that they can do their job properly. Each type of crystal has its own unique energy, and activating it will allow them to fully express this. To do this, simply take a few moments to hold the crystal in your hands and connect with it through your breath. Imagine breath flowing in and out of the crystal as if it were breathing itself. This simple technique can help you activate their energies quickly and effectively!
When to cleanse crystals.
- If your crystals are new, cleaning them before you use them is best.
- If you use them to improve sleep or wear them as jewelery, it is best to cleanse your gemstones every time you use them.
- If you use them around the home for protection, then recharging them once a week should suffice.
- Some crystals used for protection need to be cleansed often as they absorb significant negative energy.
- Selenite is the only crystal you don’t have to cleanse. You can use it to help you cleanse and recharge other crystals. Just set your crystals around the Selenite piece, which will return them to the most optimal level.
How to cleanse crystals at home
Gemstone cleansing allows you to customize your care based on the type of crystal. Familiarize yourself with a few different methods and see which one resonates best with you.
- How to clean gemstones using water
You can hold your gemstone under running water to help cleanse it. Then pat dry with a soft towel. Not all gemstones do well under running water as they may be porous and prone to crack. For cleansing any of the softer gemstones, try using any of the waterless methods listed below.
- How to clean gemstones using sunlight
Allow your crystals to sit in the early morning sunlight for a few hours to recharge. Gemstones such as Citrine are best cleansed in the sunlight and do well soaking up the sun’s rays. Be careful with most other crystals, especially Amethyst, as they can crack when exposed to bright sunlight.
- How to cleanse crystals with Sage Spray.
Sage is a sacred plant with many healing properties and is great for cleansing and balancing gemstones vibrations. I prefer to use a sage spray like this one rather than sage smoke to clean my crystals as it is far less messy. I pass the crystal through the sage spray to balance the crystal vibration and disperse unwanted energy when using this method. I usually do this indoors or outdoors if I’m cleansing crystals with sage smoke.
- How to charge crystals with singing bowls
I sometimes use a Buddhist singing bowl like this one to clean my crystals, especially if I want to cleanse many crystals at one time. The sound vibration allows the stones to return to their natural vibration. Place the crystals in the singing bowl and allow the sound to pass over them for approximately five minutes.
- Cleansing a crystal with brown rice
This method is often used to draw negativity out of your gemstones in a safe and controlled setting. It’s especially beneficial for protective stones, such as Black Obsidian and Black Tourmaline. Bury your stone beneath the grains of some dry brown rice for 24 hours. Throw away the rice after every cleansing to get rid of the negative energy.
- How to charge your crystals with a larger stone
You can use Selenite slabs or bowls, large quartz clusters like this one, or Amethyst Geodes like this one to clear smaller stones by placing your stone directly inside or on top of any of these stones for about 24 hours.
- How to clean crystals with smaller stones
Carnelian, Clear Quartz, and Hematite are perfect for clearing other gemstones. Place the smaller stones into a small bowl, set the larger stone you want to cleanse on top and leave for 24 hours.
- How to cleanse crystals using the full moon
A popular belief is that the Full Moon clears a crystal’s negative energies and also recharges the positive energies or natural properties that it holds. Most crystals can be left overnight in the moonlight to recharge. This is especially good when learning how to activate crystals for the first time. I use crystals under my pillow every night to help with insomnia brought on by menopause, which I like to charge in the moonlight after every use.
When to cleanse crystals with the moon:
✔️ Allow your gemstones to sit out from about 10 pm and bring them in again at about 11 am before it gets too sunny. This will allow your gemstones exposure to both moonlight (white light) and daylight (blue light).
How does the full moon affect my crystals?
✔️ Exposure to a full moon is effective in re-tuning your crystal and getting its vibration back to balance. Just leave it overnight, basking in the light of the full moon.
- How to cleanse crystals with Selenite
You can purchase a cute selenite charging bowl like this one to place on your window at night to recharge your crystals. They look stunning and can hold quite a few crystals at a time.
- Cleansing Crystals with sound vibrations
As well as cleansing your crystals with a singing bowl like this one, many people use sound to cleanse their crystals, and one of the best ways to do this is by using a mantra or chant, often associated with the Tibetan Buddhist monks. A popular chant I use whilst meditating is “Om Mani Padme Hum.”
To cleanse crystals using sound vibrations, sit with the gemstone you would like to recharge in front of you while meditating and repeating the mantra for several repetitions. It’s a great way to relax too! - How to cleanse specific crystals
Many of you may have specific crystals that you use around the home, and you may like to look after them by cleansing them individually. I’ve listed a few popular gemstones below and some tips for dispelling unwanted energy and rebalancing your stones.
✔️ How to cleanse Rose Quartz. Use the saltwater method to cleanse Rose Quartz. You can allow the gemstones to sit in a saltwater solution ( a tablespoon of sea salt in a bowl of water) for up to 48 hours.
✔️ How to cleanse Amethyst. Use the earth method. One of the best ways to cleanse your crystals and stones of their negative energy is to return them to the Earth. It would be best if you buried your crystals in the earth overnight to ground and recharge them, retrieving them in the morning. Polish them with a soft cloth to get rid of any dirt.
Before you bury your Amethyst, place it into a cloth bag like this to ensure it does not get dirty.
You can either bury the bag in your garden or a potted plant.
Leave for at least 24 hours to realine.
✔️ How to cleanse Selenite. Use a singing bowl like this one or a smudging kit like this one to cleanse selenite. Pass the crystal through the sage spray to balance the crystal vibration and to disperse unwanted energy.
✔️ How to cleanse Citrine. Use the sunlight method to cleanse Citrine, allow your crystals to sit in the early morning sunlight for a few hours to recharge.
FAQ
Most crystals love saltwater, so get yourself down to the beach and give them a dip! Avoid taking Selenite, though, as it will dissolve in saltwater.
Knowing how to cleanse crystals with salt can be really helpful when going on holiday abroad.
To use this technique at home, you can allow the gemstones to sit in a saltwater solution ( a tablespoon of sea salt in a bowl of water) for up to 48 hours.
You can bury your crystals in the earth overnight to the ground and recharge them with Mother Earth in the morning. Just polish them with a soft polishing cloth like this one to get rid of any dirt.
Some crystals like Clear Quartz and other stone gemstone do well to be stored outside as long as it is away from direct sunlight.
Placing darker gemstones like Black Obsidian or Tourmaline on outside windowsill or doorsteps can ward off negative energy from home and are best placed next to plants so the gemstone can soak up the positive energy from them.
Placing crystals outside is a popular method of cleansing crystals, especially if you have many crystals for cleansing.
Unlike smudging with Sage, smoke from incense does not do much to disperse the unwanted energy in your gemstones; however, it is good to use it around the area you store your crystals to help change the energy in the atmosphere. Palo Santo is a popular choice of incense to use; however, it is not really available. It is a sacred wood being over-harvested, so pine, rosemary, or juniper are good choices.
Find out how to cleanse your crystals by reading any of the methods listed above, such as burial, moonlight, and singing bowls.
Your crystal will feel lighter to the touch and more balanced. You may feel more in tune with your freshly cleansed crystal.
How do you use crystals around the home? Let us know in the comments!