10 Sure-Fire Ways to Cleanse Your Healing Crystals
Routine cleansing of your healing crystals is a sure-fire way to keep them happy, healthy, and ready to go when it comes time to work with them. You may already have a favorite method for cleansing your stones, but there are actually many ways to get the job done some of which you may have never tried or considered before.
UPDATE: This article previously mentioned White Sage and Palo Santo among the recommended methods for cleansing your stones. Smoke cleansing using these materials is culturally appropriative in the context it was previously described, especially shared by the author here (who is white). This article has been updated to reflect this change. Further, the term “smudging” has been updated to “smoke cleansing,” since the term smudging was incorrectly applied to the act of cleansing crystals without the cultural context and deeper meaning connected with the act of smudging by Indigenous people.
Crystals have the ability to receive, store, and transmit energy. For this reason, it is important to routinely perform crystal cleansing to rid crystals of unwanted or negative energies.
By the time you bring your stone home, it has come into contact with many, many energies, and each person and place the crystal comes into contact with will leave an energetic imprint on its energy field. For this reason, you can see how important cleansing can be to the health and wellbeing of the crystal as well as to any healing work in which you use it.
Cleansing should be done before AND after using your stones. Remember, as always, your intention plays a very important role in this process. When first beginning to work with crystals, you may want to clear your stones on a routine schedule (once per week or once per month depending on the amount of use), but after more practice, you will come to intuitively know when your stones need cleansing.
You may also find it helpful to use your intuition to help you choose a cleansing method for your stone. Some healers are even gifted with clairaudience (psychic hearing) and may be able to ask the stone being which method it would prefer.
For all of the following methods of cleansing, have a clear intention to cleanse the crystal. Have a receptacle of your choice filled with white light to absorb negative energy and transform it into positive energy. Common receptacles include: a black hole filled with white light, a waterfall, a rainbow, etc.
Methods of Cleansing:
WATER:
Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) of natural or purified water and leave overnight. Alternatively, you can hold your crystal in a stream or lake for approximately five minutes (or until you intuitively feel is has been cleansed) while visualizing any negativity being washed away by the water. It is best to use this method to cleanse your crystals on the night of a full moon. Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in water (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite).
SEA SALT:
Place your crystal in a container (preferable glass) of sea salt and leave overnight. It is best to completely cover the stone with the salt.
BREATH:
To clear a stone using your breath, you must first clear your mind of any outside thoughts. Then, hold the crystal in one hand and breathe out forcefully while quickly waving your other hand over the crystal.
SEA SALT WATER:
Place your crystal in a container (preferable glass) filled with Sea Salt water. Be sure not to saturate the water with salt (you do not want un- dissolved salt in the solution as it may scratch some stones); try using about two teaspoons for every eight ounces of water. Leave the stone in the water overnight. Upon removing the stones, rinse them in clear water to remove any remaining salt residue. This is typically best used for stones of 7+ Hardness (Quartz and harder). Use caution when using this method to cleanse stones as some stones may dissolve or be damaged when placed in water (i.e. Angelite, Celestite, Calcite, Turquoise, Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, Azurite, & Selenite).
BROWN RICE:
Place your crystal in a container (preferably glass) of brown rice and leave overnight. It is best to completely cover the stone with the rice. Some healers suggest eating the rice after the stones have been cleared, but personally I would not recommend it. Since the rice is absorbing the negative vibrations from the stones in order to clear them, I do not believe it to be a good practice to ingest that energy.
BURNING CLEANSING HERBS:
Burning cleansing herbs or herbal bundles and using the smoke to envelop your stones can remove negative energy. To cleanse your crystals, run your stones through the smoke of burning herbs (such as Lavender, Cedar, Rosemary) or incense (such as Sandalwood, Rose, or Jasmine) for approximately two to three minutes (or until you intuitively feel that the stone has been cleared of negativity or unwanted energies).
Be cautious if using this method around fragrance-sensitive clients. When cleansing crystals with herbal bundles, the smoke will typically surround them with some smoke on each side of the stone. A common indication that the crystal has been cleared is that the smoke will begin to move to one side of the stone more than the other.
SOUND:
Use a gong, chime, or singing bowl to emit cleansing sound vibrations into your crystal. You may even place your crystals within a singing bowl to cleanse them, but use caution with points or clusters as the intense vibration of the bowl may chip points. Tumbled stones work best for this method.
BURYING:
To cleanse your stone by burying it in the earth, you should follow a few simple steps to ensure that it does not get lost. First, dig a small hole where you would like to bury your stone. Place the soil you have removed into an earthenware pot or jar. Bury the crystal in the soil within the pot or jar. Then, lower the pot into the hole and cover it with the remaining soil. Mark your crystal with a flag or some other marker so you can later retrieve it.
Leave the stone buried for at least one week (more if you intuitively feel that it needs more time to cleanse). Because this is such an intense cleansing method, it is really only necessary for stones which have been overworked and that need a break to re- charge and re-generate their healing energy. An alternative method is to bury the stone in a pot of soil within your home (i.e. in a houseplant). This cleansing method is best performed during the time of the waning moon.
CLEANSING VISUALIZATION:
Hold your crystal in your hands and breathe deeply. While focusing on your breath, try to feel the energies of the stone. Visualize universal, healing light filling the stone until all negativity has been dissolved. See the light expand until it surrounds the stone and fills your hands. Intend that all negativity be removed from the stone and dissolved. When you intuitively feel that the stone has been cleared, you may stop the visualization.
Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!
[…] 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Cleanse Your Healing Crystals – Love & Light Healing School. […]
Really like this piece, and have shared on my business page. Very comprehensive!
Thanks so much for sharing! We are glad you liked it. Crystal blessings!
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[…] (i.e. any energy that is not for your highest good). For more information about cleansing crystals, Click Here to learn about 10 quick and simple ways you can cleanse your […]
It is rather a question…I have a lot of crystals at home, I love them, they speak to me, I use them in therapy etc.Last year I filled the house with orgonites and now I am facing a dilemma.
Beside other uses, orgonites are supposed to clean crystals energetically. But they “clean” also the programming/charging of crystals.I have an orgon-pyramid that has an influence radius of 6 meters and lots of smaller ones. They cover in grid the whole house. I hate having to choose between crystals or orgonites….I want them all. How can I protect my programmed crystals from the orgonites? I mean besides having all the crystals in one room without orgonites….
Thank you in advance
If you are still out there please let me know how you’ve been doing over the years with your orgonite and if you figured out how to avoid negative effects
I have cerussite crystal , I want to cleanse it but I also have a quartz that is the healer charger of all my stones . Id like to know which way wpuld be best to cleanse my cerussite as well as my Calcite it has manifestation on it and I don’t want to ruin my crystals with crystals coming out of them as well as my azurite , Please Help !! I don’t want to put them in water and destroy my pals! They make me so happy. Cerussite reminds me I’m not alone and I’d really love to get to knoe my past life better and not feel so homesick
We would suggest smudging or sounds healing for fragile stones. You can do a large group of stones at once (which is a HUGE time saver) plus there’s no risk of ruining your stones with water <3
Crystal Blessings!
I was curious if you could give me a list of what crystals cant be cleansed in Water I do have Sea Salt and a Sage Spray sold at my local New Age Shop but I had well Water White sage Holy water a preservative and Rain water and Reiki Energy do to im allergic to Smoke but I’m just wanting a list of of what Crystals can’t be cleansed in water also sometype of cleansing method that is safe for all I have used the light method of Cleansing I’m just curious if there are other safe for all types of crystal cleansing methods I tend to love water for cleansing
Hi Mary 🙂 We have a list here of stones that aren’t too keen on water <3 https://loveandlightschool.com/create-crystal-elixirs-safely/
Crystal blessings!
I have a question about the brown rice technique. Does each stone need cleansed separately or can you do multiple ones in a large bowl? Can it be used a second time or will the energy pulled from the first cleansing “contaminate” the rice rendering unusable? Does it only pull out energy allowing to be used again or would it transfer to another stone placed in used rice?
You can do multiple stones at the same time 🙂 crystal blessings
Did you ever find out if you can re-use the same rice to clean a second batch of stones??
Yes! You can re use it a few times, but I wouldn’t keep it longer than a month or 2. 🙂
[…] by gathering your supplies and making sure that all of your crystals have been cleansed. Create an intention statement for your grid such as, “My emotional body is healthy, balanced, […]
[…] you’ll be carrying your stone throughout the day, you’ll need to be sure to cleanse it frequently. One of the simplest methods of cleansing is to smudge your stones. You can cleanse a single […]
I have a question? Can you cleanse the crystals and stones in sunlight?
You can – but it isn’t recommended for a number of reasons, including that many crystals will fade in color (and some can even start fires!). Thanks for asking! 🙂
Could the cleaning be done with white rice?
Hi Rosane! Cleansing with brown or white rice is another commonplace practice, I’ve seen references for both. In fact, some really well-respected crystal healing authors have written about this method. Just remember that after placing your crystal in the rice overnight, you should never eat the rice afterward since the rice is absorbing unwanted or excess energy. I hope that helps! Crystal blessings! <3
Hello! After cleansing do yiu then need to do an intention with each crystal?
Hi Charlene! Great question!! I do feel that it’s helpful to do a new intention after cleansing, but not completely necessary. It’ll depend on how you’re working with them. Hope that helps! <3