How to Cleanse/Clear Your Crystals: A Quick Guide to 9 Methods

Have you ever noticed that after watching a particularly disturbing movie or after having had an argument, we often need to shake it off somehow and dissipate that unwanted energy? Well crystals are similar in a sense where they'll pick up any energy that's around them and sometimes that energy is undesired so it becomes really handy to be able to cleanse/clear our crystals of that energy.

Cleansing crystals is often particularly important when first purchasing a crystal, because it could have been in contact with any number of unwanted energies. Unless of course you have a very close relationship with the seller and know that it has been programmed with beneficial intentions/energies.

Some crystals are known to be self-cleansing and don't need to be cleansed otherwise. Here's a short list of the most that are most often said to be self-cleansing:

• Selenite
• Citrine
• Carnelian
• Kyanite

However, there is perhaps something to be said about all crystals needing to be cleansed at some point, no matter their ability to self-cleanse or not.

At the time of this writing, my favorite ways to cleanse my crystals are using selenite and playing a signing bowl. I own and use a signing bowl already for myself, so my crystals benefit at the same time. And similarly with selenite, I purchased some selenite bowls to hold some of my crystals and they double up as an easy way for them to be cleansed.

Intention is Key!

Keep in mind that, with all the techniques presented in this article, the part that's perhaps most important to effectively cleanse your crystals is to maintain a clear intention for them to be cleansed. In fact, you'll see that some of the techniques involve pretty much solely using your intention. Don't under-estimate the power of focused intention!

Also, let your intuition guide you as to when/how often a crystal should be cleansed, what method to use and how long the method has to be used to be effective. There is no clear-cut answer and you will discover over time what seems to work best for you.

Alright, without further ado, here are 9 method options you can use to cleanse your crystals:

Placing Them Under Running Water

You can place your crystals under cold running water and imagine them being cleansed and the negative energy leaving with the water flowing. Ideally you'd do that in the ocean, or source of natural fresh water, but tap water can also work. You can then let them dry out on a cloth.

Keep in mind that not all crystals should be placed under water and some can be damaged by water. Selenite is a common example of a crystal that shouldn't be placed under water, but here's also a great article on the topic if you're curious.

Salt Water or Bed of Salt

Similar to placing your crystals under cold water, placing them in a bowl of salt water or the in ocean is another great way to cleanse your crystals. Once you're done, just remember to get rid of the salt water, because it will have accumulated the cleared energies.

Or you can place them on a bed of salt overnight in your home. Use a good quality natural salt such as Himalayan sea salt. Then just rinse the salt off the crystals and get rid of the salt you used for cleansing.

Again with this, be mindful not to use this technique on crystals that could be damaged by water or salt.

Using a Singing Bowl

This is a simple one where you simply use a signing bowl close to your crystals and let the sound vibrations cleanse the energy of your crystals.

If using a crystal signing bowl, don't place your crystals inside the bowl as it could damage the bowl. Signing bowls such as Tibetan signing bowls are made of metal and could potentially hold your crystals while you're playing them, but it's probably just as effective to have your crystals around the bowl on the outside.

Here's a guide from Ethan Lazzerini if you're curious about the ins and outs of using a signing bowl to cleanse crystals.

Using Selenite

Selenite is a crystal that is known to be able to cleanse other crystals. You'll likely want to also cleanse your selenite from time to time using one of the methods on this page, but then the selenite itself can be used to cleanse your other crystals. You can even purchase selenite bowls or plates to hold/display your crystals that will cleanse them at the same time.

Using Only Your Intention and Visualization

With a mind that's focused enough, it's possible to cleanse your crystals just by imagining them being cleansed. You can hold a crystal and imagine a white light running through it and clearing it of any negative energy. You can also touch the crystal to the floor or ground and imagine the negative energies leaving the crystal, being sent to the Earth and transmuted into positive energy. If you're able to keep a strong focus and intention while doing this, it could be enough to cleanse your crystals.

Using Your Breath

This one is similar to the previous one on using just the power of your intention and visualization, but with this you'll also send out your breath towards the crystal while imagining the breath itself cleansing the crystal of any stored energy.

Smudging with Sage or Palo Santo

Just as you can smudge yourself or a living space using an herb like sage or wood like Paleo Santo, you can also smudge your crystals to clear them. Just make sure that the crystals are placed directly in the smudging smoke and visualize that each crystal being cleansed of negative energy.

It's a good idea to open your windows while you do this, to let the smoke leave the space along with the unwanted energy.

Placing Them Under the Full Moon

Another great way to cleanse crystals it to place them on a window sill on the night of the full moon. The moon's energies will act as a great cleanser for your crystals.

Placing Them in the Ground

Some crystals are cleansed very well by being buried under the ground or in the soil of a house plant for a period of time. In this video, Adam Barralet talks about how to do exactly this.