5 Crystal Cleansing Methods (Why Cleansing A Crystal Is A Must!)

It is always amazing when you add new healing stones to your kit, but selecting them is just the beginning! In fact the most important step is to ensure you give them a thorough energy cleanse. In this post you will learn 5 of the best crystal cleansing methods and how to go about cleansing a crystal for healing.

So let’s discover why this is so important before using your chosen crystals.

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Best Crystal Cleansing Methods To Charge And Program

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Why Is Crystal Cleansing Before Healing So Important?

Simply put, in most cases you have no real understanding of the stones history before you chose it. You don’t know where the stone has been, the energy of it’s previous environment, or the people who have come into contact or left an energetic vibration.

Regardless of whether the people who handled the stone were positive, negative or something in-between, you know that your crystal will have absorbed their energy, intentions and emotions. They will have collected energetic “fingerprints” from every encounter.

When you cleanse your crystals you remove any left over intent or emotional energy of others. By using the following methods you can remove unwanted, stale and negative energy. It also clears the stones of any prior charging.

While you must cleanse your healing crystals when you purchase them, you also need to keep them cleansed regularly, especially if you use them for healing others. A rule of thumb is that you should cleanse, charge and program your stones after they are used on a different person. During a healing session your crystals will absorb the energy of the person being healed.

This means they may retain the persons current emotions and any blocked or negative energy that is associated with ill health. And each time your healing stones come into contact with you, your clients, your friends, and your family they are absorbing the energy from the environment.

This means when you offer them to others during a healing session or meditation they become embedded with that persons energy, including their current emotional state and the stagnant or blocked energies associated with ill health.

What happens if you don’t cleanse your crystals?

You run the risk of them sending back the unwanted energy when you use them. At best this will mean they serve no useful purpose, at worst they may harm the energy and health of everyone in the space.

So, in the same way that you wash your clothes or your hands, you also need to wash your crystals to remove this unwanted energy and vibration. And once cleansed of the energy they may have collected or absorbed, they are ready to charge and program for use in healing.

crystals drying in the sun, cleansing a crystal method in a healing crystal guide
Rose Quartz charging in the sun.

There are many ways of cleansing crystals before you charge and program them. The following 5 are my favorites!

Number 1 – Cleanse Crystals With Salt And Water.

Salty water is probably the most well known way to cleanse crystals. Salt is an amazing cleanser. It is also a crystal, but unlike your healing stones the salt crystals are much softer and are porous.

You probably know that salt can be used to absorb moisture from a damp room, or to absorb unwanted odors from a fridge or room in the home. It does a similar thing for our healing stones.

The salt dissolved in water draws out and absorbs any energies that have been collected by your healing crystals. Whenever possible use salt that is pure. Table salt often contains aluminum and chemical additives.

Cleansing Your Crystal For The First Time.

If this is you first time, you should note that not all crystals can be cleansed with salt and water. Selenite, for example, is one of the most beautiful and powerful of all healing crystals but will become brittle and may even dissolve if placed in water.

The vast majority of crystals can be placed in water safely. My suggestion is that you should not use water and salt for cleansing crystals that are porous, metallic or that are brittle or soft.

You are able to test whether your crystal should be placed in salt water by checking “brittleness”. If the stone appears to be flaky or easily sheds small shards, such as Tourmaline, don’t add it to water.

If your crystal is soft, meaning if you pressed it with a metal point it would leave an impression or a mark do not place in salty water. 2 crystals that fit this category are Selenite and Lapis Lazuli.

The majority of crystals are as tough as rock, pun intended, and will love their salty bath. Simply submerge your stones in their bath overnight. You can leave them longer if they have been used for very deep intense healing.

When you take them out of their salt bath it is a good idea to rinse them under clean, cold, running water to remove any remaining salt. Then let them dry in the air. To enhance the cleansing you can add fresh herbs such as sage, basil or lavender to the salty bath.

cleansing a crystal with sea salt
Pure Forms Of Salt

Number 2 – Dry Salt (Or Rice)

If you remain unsure about whether you should add a crystal to water, there is an alternative, and that is to use just the salt. To use this method pour the salt into a glass or plastic bowl. Then simply bury your crystals in the dry salt and leave them overnight, or longer if used for deep healing. 

In the morning they will be ready to charge and program. Another point to note, once you have finished make sure to dispose of the salt. It is no good for anything else now because it has absorbed all of the negative energies during the cleansing process. Dispose of it down the toilet or wash it down the sink. Be sure to thoroughly brush off any excess off the crystals, or if brave, give them a quick rinse in water and then leave in the air to dry.

A handy hint if you can’t find great salt, or if you feel unsure about using it, you can replace it completely by substituting it with brown rice. The rice will absorb and retain all those energies. Once done, return the rice to the earth by burying it in a garden or release it into the ocean.

Number 3 – Running Cold Water for Crystal And Stone Cleansing

A very simple method for cleansing is placing your stones in flowing water. A stream is perfect, but a running faucet is also perfectly effective. Like the first two methods you need apply the same principles. Choose only the crystal types that will not be damaged or dissolved!

Water, being a natural element, has earthly links to your stones. The flowing water quickly neutralizes any negative and harmful energies. It then washes them away to safely absorbed and returned to the earth.

To enhance the effectiveness of this method you can use visualization and intent. As you place your crystal into the stream, or as you hold your crystal under running faucet water, focus on your stone and visualize it being cleared and cleansed.

See the impure energies being washed from the crystal. As the negative energies are being washed away see them being replaced with pure natural energy. Sense the stone being recharged by the energy of the water and of the earth. This technique usually takes about 1 or 2 minutes per crystal.

Water, especially when flowing, is a powerful energiser and cleanser. So 1 or 2 minutes may not sound very long but if you have a large number of crystals it can turn into a very time consuming process!

How To Charge and Program Crystals – 5 Of The Best Methods

When you sense the crystal is clear, remove it from the water. If you have time you can now start to program the crystal and charge them with intent. To do this say in your mind, or out loud, the reason you have cleansed the stone and provide intent, or the purpose you have for the stone.

For example you may say:

“In this running water from nature, from our Mother Earth, this crystal has been cleansed of all negativity, cleansed of all impurity and cleared of external vibration. The energy of nature and the energy of water has recharged this stone for the purpose of …. (add your specific purpose if you have one) …. this crystal is cleansed, cleared and in perfect vibration with nature.”

How To Charge and Program Crystals With Intent

And now let your crystal dry in the air.

Crystals That Should Never Be Placed In Salt or Water.

  • Red Jasper – Water and Salt may cause it to crack or break.
  • Fluorite – A very soft crystal may be damaged in water and salt.
  • Rhodonite – May break or become brittle
  • Blood Stone – May break, crack or disintegrate
  • Malachite – May crack in water and in salt
  • Sodalite – may crumble or lose its color
  • Calcite – may dissolve or disintegrate, use a singing bowl.
  • Selenite – will dissolve in water, and it self cleanses anyway.
  • Kyanite – may disintegrate and flake, best to use a smudge such as palo santo.
  • Apatite – not safe in water or in salt, use a singing bowl for this stone.
  • Celestite – may crumble very quickly, best to learn how to cleanse crystals in moonlight for this gem!
What is Crystal Cleansing?

Number 4 – Using Other Types Of Crystals.

If you feel uneasy or unsure using salt, water, or both there are options. In fact there are specific stones that you can use to refresh your crystals.

Quartz Clusters, Amethyst Geodes and Selenite Slabs are able to cleanse all other forms of crystal. Simply place your crystals directly onto the larger stone cluster, geode or slab and leave for 12 to 24 hours.

The Selenite, Amethyst and Quartz will absorb all of the no longer wanted energy from the other stones. They neutralize any impurity and charge the other crystals with their vibration.

Cleansing With quartz, amethyst and selenite

Many people say that these 3 crystal types do not need to be cleansed, as they are able to neutralize impurity. I agree this is true, however I like to give them a bath regardless.

I believe all natural elements should be able to experience the input of pure and revitalizing earth energy. Otherwise they only ever expend their own energy while cleansing others. I think of it as a Spa treatment for all their hard work! Amethyst and Quartz can be cleansed in water, and in salt. so they are easy! Selenite can be cleansed by using smudge, singing bowls or moonlight.

Kyanite is the exception. Kyanite just loves clearing negative energy and does it very quickly. It is the only crystal, in my opinion, that does not need to be cleansed. It is designed to neutralize impure and negative energy and sends it back to us in perfect purity. It is one of my “must haves”!

a woman holds a crystal in smudge smoke to cleanse it
Smudging a crystal

Number 5 – Smudging or Smoking.

This is my personal favorite method! Smudging is the term given to the use of smoke produced from burning certain herbs or wood. Most commonly known is sage, or palo santo. White sage is potentially the best and easiest to find. Many of you will know about smudging and may have used it for clearing stagnant, negative and unhealthy energy from your home.

The same principle applies here! Smudging will do the same for your natural healing stones. Simply light your smudge stick and hold your crystal in the smoke. As you did with flowing water you can finish by adding intent. Visualize the no longer wanted energy being removed by the billowing smoke. This method is awesome.

Let the smudge smoke envelope each crystal for 30 to 40 seconds. If you find the aroma from smudging to heavy and overpowering, you can substitute the sage with Sandalwood or Frankincense incense. The smoke from the incense will help you achieve the same results!

Charging your healing crystals simply means you are energizing them and activating them with intent for their purpose. I find this is best done straight after their cleansing and clearing. When fully cleansed you can connect and engage with their true vibration and energy.

How To Charge Crystals In the Sun And Moonlight.

The energies of light from the Sun and Moon are perfect for energizing your crystals with pure natural earthly energies. Many people leave freshly cleansed crystals in the Moonlight for two nights. This allows them to fully absorb the energies of Moonlight.

Sunlight I limit to an hour or two at maximum. You can charge your stones using both. This provides a balance for your crystals, the Sun providing stronger masculine energy, the Moon providing a more gentle, yet powerful, feminine energy. Your intention for your crystal will help determine which form of light to use, or the balance of both.

If you are wanting to focus on nurturing, loving and deeply spiritual intent then a majority of feminine, nurturing, loving moonlight is best. Take care if leaving crystals in strong sunshine. Some colored stones when left in strong sunlight can lose some, or all, of their color. Amethyst and Citrine are examples of this. Therefore as mentioned previously, I suggest leaving these crystals in the sunshine for an hour or two. You can also use the more gentle sunlight hours, such as the sunrise and the sunset.

a group of crystals being charged in the moonlight
Crystals Charging In The Moonlight

Physical Contact And Vibration.

Ancient civilizations who used crystals, such as the Aztecs and Native Americans energized and charged their crystals through contact and by immersing them in the aura (our energy field).

You can do the same. To charge and program your crystal simply pick them up and handle them. Hold them or rub them between the palms of your hands and focus on what it is you wish for them to achieve.

How To Charge Crystals With Intentions!

A more formal energised charging can be achieved using the following method.

If possible do this as you stand in the moonlight or sunlight. Hold your healing crystal in your left hand (the left hand receives energy) and say out loud, or to yourself:

“I dedicate this crystal to work for the good of all, charged in natures light, I only accept and seek vibrations and energies that work for the best and most positive good. I ask that the universe infuse this stone with energy so it, and I, may only know, offer and receive love and light.”

How To Charge With Intent

You may also charge your crystal with specific intent. Again hold the crystal in your left hand and visualize on the specific purpose you have for the crystal i.e. healing, love, attraction, prosperity.

Repeat the same dedication and state your specific intent at the end, for example…”The intent for this crystal is….. (add your intended purpose)”.

If you are charging the stone for your own protection, healing or energy you should carry it, wear it as jewelry, or try to remain in the same space as the crystals for as much time as possible. This will strengthen the energetic connection.

I try to finish crystal cleansing in the evening, then after I program the crystals and healing stones I place them on a table beside the bed as I sleep. You will wake to perfectly charged and fully activated healing stones.

I would love to hear your feedback if you use these methods. If you know other ways of cleansing a crystal please do share them with us in the comment section below. You can of course contact us directly here.

Love and Light

5 crystal cleansing methods (why cleansing a crystal is a must!)
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HolisticJB
Educator and International Leadership Consultant with over 20 years experience, and still loving it! Qualified and Licensed Reiki Master Teacher, Hypnotherapist and Chakra Energy Health Body Worker. A traveler, a foodie and a knowledge seeker with a passion for all things healthy, herbal and energy holistic!

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