Do you just love crystals? And do you enjoy using those crystals for healing? (I know I do!)

Did you know that a really important part of being a great guardian of your sparkly crystal friends is keeping them energetically clear? It’s true!

In fact, effectively cleansing your crystals is a really easy way to improve the results of your crystal healing and the overall impact that crystals can have in your life.

Let me share with you why, how and when to do this all important practice and show you just how easy-peasy (and even fun) it can be!

What Does it Mean to Cleanse a Crystal?

To cleanse, or clear, a crystal means to remove any inharmonious energies from it. Here, we’re talking about cleansing the crystal on the subtle energy level, meaning beyond what our physical senses may perceive, at the same level that our own auras exist. We’re not talking about physically cleaning the crystal from contaminants such as dirt, although sometimes that is necessary, too.

I say inharmonious here, because even though we as humans can experience this energy as “negative,” it’s not necessarily inherently negative. It simply doesn’t contribute to or support our energetic health. Others animal, especially cats, can experience energies in ways completely different to humans. So it’s all relative!

Why Would I Want to Cleanse the Energy of My Crystals?

If you’ve ever worked with crystals, you’ve probably felt that they’re more than just objects: they’re alive.

Crystals emit, conduct and amplify energy. This means that crystals emit their own energy, and that they also amplify all forms of life force energy. This makes them powerful partners, both in healing and manifestation work.

Crystals are also great at storing energy. This is why we can program them to support us in our healing and manifesting work.

Because they vibrate at such a high frequency, they’re able to shake off a lot of the lower vibrational energetic debris that they encounter, and instead allow us to rise to their high vibration. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t need to be cleansed!

Think about it this way…Even if someone has an amazing immune system, they would still wash their hands (I hope!) because that’s only going to help to keep them strong and healthy, and also able to interact in a positive, healthy way in their world without endangering others.

The same is true of crystals. By clearing your crystals of any inharmonious energies, at certain times, you ensure that they’re only offering positive vibrations to your healing and manifestation work, and to your environment, instead of unloading inharmonious or detrimental energies that they may have picked up and stored. You’re also making sure that they’re able to support you in your healing and manifestation work in the most effective way that they can.

Luckily, cleansing your crystals is very easy and there are so many ways to do it. Let’s explore some of my favorite ways and find a way that’s just right for you!

Effective Ways to Cleanse the Energy of Your Crystals

Cleansing your crystals is both a sacred act and a functional one. Now, you can approach each of these methods matter of fact like, or let your intuition (and the crystals) guide you and have fun with it. You can treat it like an elaborate ceremony, or just “get it done.” It’s up to you and your healing style.

For me personally, it depends on how much time I have available and what I need the crystal for (and when).

No matter what, I suggest you approach each method with a clear intention and a heart full of love for your beautiful crystals!

How to Use Salt to Cleanse the Energy of a Crystal

To do this, get a bowl full of sea salt. (It’s really best to use sea salt – I wouldn’t suggest table salt.) Place the crystal into the bowl, fully covering it with the sea salt.

Be sure to leave it there for 24 hours.

You can additionally offer life force energy or Reiki over the bowl of salt, asking that your crystal be cleansed, and that it be blessed and prepared for any healing or manifesting work that you have planned.

Please note, be careful placing crystals with a Mohs hardness of five or less in the bowl of sea salt because they could get scratched.

The Mohs hardness scale is a list of minerals, ranked from one to ten, where a mineral is capable of scratching all of the minerals that fall below it on the scale. There are ten common crystals on the scale, ranging from talc to diamond, but all crystals have a Mohs hardness that fall somewhere on the scale. You can check the Mohs hardness of your crystals here: Mohs Hardness Scale

How to Use Smoke and Fire to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

You can use the elements of fire and air to cleanse your crystals.

There are two main ways to do this.

First, you can cleanse your crystal by smudging it with sage smoke or by passing it through incense smoke. To do this, light the smudge stick or the incense. Now with intention, pass the crystal through the smoke. Visualize it being fully cleared of any inharmonious energies. See these energies just dissolving, “going up in smoke.” Now see the crystal vibrating with positive energy. If you’re not the best with visualization, just use your thoughts and/or words, along with your intention.

When doing this, I prefer an incense, such as this one: White Sage Incense, or a smudge stick such as this one: Smudge Stick.

The second way to do this is to pass the crystal through, or right over, a candle flame. But be careful not to get burned or let the crystal get too hot (which can then burn you)! When I’m in the mood, this is a really interesting way to cleanse a crystal. It’s primal and powerful. As you do this, intend and visualize any inharmonious energies being burned away. See the crystal glowing with strength and clarity.

I wouldn’t use this latter method with any crystal that is fragile or friable. You’re better off using a gentler cleansing method with those crystals.

How to Use the Sun and the Moon to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

Using the sun and/or the moon is another classic way to clear unwanted energies from your crystals. It’s also really simple!

To do this, simply place your crystal under moonlight or in sunlight. I would suggest you leave it there for a minimum of two to three hours, or overnight in the case of the moonlight.

Many people love doing this during the time of the full moon, when the moon is at her brightest. And while putting your crystals directly in moonbeams is extremely powerful, I feel that you can do this any time of the month with the right intention, and whether or not you are able to place your crystal directly in the light of the moon. Just place it out, even on a windowsill, or a small table in front of a window, with the intention that the energy of the moon cleanse your crystal.

The same approach can be taken with the sun. But once again, bright and direct sunlight is indeed a powerful cleansing medium. If you know it’s going to be a bright and beautiful day, you may wish to set your crystal out so that it may be cleansed by the rising sun. In fact, the highest levels of life force energy emanating from the sun occur in the several hours before noon. So leave those crystals out until lunch!

And on that note, don’t place photosensitive crystals in sunlight! Some examples of crystals that will fade in sunlight include: amethyst, rose quartz, smokey quartz, ametrine, opal, fluorite, aquamarine, topaz, kunzite, celestite, prasiolite, and calcites. If you place these crystals in sunlight they will fade – permanently. Now, that doesn’t mean they won’t be effective anymore, but they will not look the same, for sure.

It’s completely safe, of course, to cleanse crystals of all types with moonlight.

How to Use the Earth to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

Did you know that you can can bury crystals in the Earth to cleanse their energy? Yup, it’s true!

To do this, dig a small hole, several inches to a foot beneath the surface. You may wish to wrap your crystal in a clean cloth. Then, place your crystal in the hole and cover it with the soil.

If you choose to bury your crystal in the Earth, make sure that you note exactly where you buried it so that you can dig it up easily! I would also be hesitant to use this method with friable crystals (see the next section for details about that).

Leave your crystal buried at least overnight. It can be nice to leave it for a full moon’s cycle, or a month, especially if it’s been doing some heavy duty healing work with you and needs a real break and a full reset. But you can just leave it buried for as long as it feels right to you. Check in with your intuition to sense if the cleansing feels complete.

Then go dig your sparkly little buddy up and welcome it to the daylight. (Of course, you could always dig it up in the middle of the night, if that’s more your jam, but I’ll leave that up to you!)

Now, if you don’t have an outdoor space that you can bury your crystal in, you can get a pot and fill it with natural, unfertilized soil. Then bury your crystal in it as described. If you do this repeatedly, eventually you’ll have to replace the soil with fresh soil since it will be filled with inharmonious energies. So I would not plant a plant in it. Instead, return it to Mother Earth and she’ll transmute the energies perfectly.

How to Use Water to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

Cool, running water is another great crystal cleansing tool. To do this, just hold your crystal under running water, whether from your tap or a outdoor stream or river.

If you use tap water, make sure that you use cool or cold water. Warm water will further encourage the attachment of any inharmonious energies, whereas cold water will help to release them. This is because warm or hot water expands the energy field of crystals, and living beings, and traps the energies there at the subtle energy level.

As you hold the crystal under the water, you may want to rub it with your thumb. Once your thumb sort of catches on the crystal as you rub it, the cleansing is likely complete. Of course, this only applies to smooth crystals. So set your intention to cleanse your crystals and just follow your intuition as to when the cleansing is complete.

Don’t place friable, or water soluble crystals in water! Crystals that will dissolve in or be damaged by water include: selenite, including the gypsum flower and desert rose forms, halite, pyrite, azurite, malachite, hematite, lodestone, fluorite, calcite, and turquoise, as well as some crystal clusters. Instead, use a gentler, non-mechanical method of cleansing, such as the ones that follow, to cleanse these types of crystals.

How to Use Sound to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

One of my other favorite ways of cleansing crystals is with sound. It’s powerful, but gentle, and suitable for use with all types of crystals.

You can do this with a chime, a bell, tingshas, a drum, or a Tibetan or crystal singing bowl. You can also simply use your voice.

When using your voice, you can chant any mantra that feels right, including any of the mantras for the Reiki symbols. You can also use a seed syllable. A seed syllable is the mystical syllable within a mantra that doesn’t have a precise definition, but rather a direct connection to a spiritual principle. Om is a primary example of a seed syllable. Or, you can use any loving word, such as love, peace, joy, or thank you. You can also just chant a tone.

To use sound to cleanse crystals, simply place the crystals in front of the source of the sound, including your own mouth, if you’re using your own voice. Continue the sound for anywhere from two to ten minutes, or until you feel that the cleansing is complete. Talk about easy!

The bonus is that I find it’s such a great opportunity to commune and really connect with my crystals. We both come out of the experience feeling clear, peaceful and in tune.

How to Use Reiki or Life Force Energy to Cleanse the Energy of Crystals

Reiki is another great tool for cleansing crystals, and there are many ways to do so.

One way to cleanse a crystal with Reiki, is by simply holding the crystal in your hands, or holding your hands over the crystal if it’s large, and drawing the Power Symbol over it. As you do this, silently say the symbol’s sacred mantra three times in your mind.

Then, channel Reiki into the crystal with the intention to clear the stone of any inharmonious or negative energies.

You can do the same thing with the life force energy healing method that I teach. To learn how to do this, sign up for my FREE course here. Once you do, you can place the Chi Ball that you learn to create right into the crystal with the intention of clearing it of any inharmonious energies. (Plus, there’s so much more that you can do with the practical and powerful techniques you’ll learn in the course.)

When and How Often Should I Cleanse the Energy in My Crystals?

This is really common question and my answer is, “It depends.”

When you adopt a new crystal, it’s always best to cleanse it straight away to clear it of any energies that it may have picked up on its way to you. This will also help it to get acclimated to it’s new home with you and ready for healing work of any kind – even if that just means hanging out in your living room!

If you’re using your crystals for healing, especially with clients, always cleanse them immediately after their use and before using them with anyone else, including yourself. If using your crystals with healing work on yourself, I suggest that you do the same thing. That way your crystals get to let go of any inharmonious energies they may have helped you to release and you get the most potent partners in your healing.

If you’ve been using your crystals in your manifestation practice, such as in a crystal grid, and you’re taking the grid apart and going to use the crystals in another grid or for some other purpose, it’s a good idea to cleanse them. It’s the best way to clear the slate and prepare your crystals for their next sacred mission!

If you wear crystals as jewelry, it’s best to clear them quite regularly. Especially if you’re a healing practitioner, it can be a good idea to cleanse them everyday. If you have a particularly challenging healing session, I would cleanse them straight away before you see another client the same way that you would with crystals used on your client during their healing session.

Lastly, if you haven’t used a crystal in a while and want to work with it again, it’s a good time to cleanse its energy. While it’s likely that the crystal is probably just fine to work with and has kept itself pretty clear with its high vibration, crystals can absorb all sorts of things just by being in our living space. So it’s a great time to clear the energy and reconnect with your crystal friend before moving on to your next adventure.

Now some people will tell you that some crystals, such as kyanite never need to be cleared. While there are some crystals that do seem to absorb and hold onto less inharmonious energies, in my opinion, all crystals deserve the tender loving care of having their energy cleansed.

And if you’re working on healing with yourself or your clients, or your own manifestations, it’s simply the professional and responsible – and most effective – thing to clear your crystals when needed. And why not? It’s easy, fun and makes all your crystalline endeavors that much better!

Thanks so much for reading. So are you inspired to clear your crystals?

Maybe you’ve been avoiding it because you thought it was hard or didn’t know where to start. 😉 But now you’ve got a plan!

So which method are you going to try out first? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Wishing you love, clarity and many crystal blessings,

Tarin Rataic, The Reiki Guide