Crystal Care & Cleansing FAQ

Your crystals are powerful tools for healing, balance, and spiritual growth. Proper care and regular cleansing ensure they maintain their energetic potency and continue to support your intentions. Here are answers to the most common questions about caring for your crystals.

Cleansing Your Crystals

Why do I need to cleanse my crystals?

Crystals absorb, store, and transmit energy from their surroundings and the people who handle them. Over time, they can accumulate stagnant or negative energy that diminishes their effectiveness. Regular cleansing clears this accumulated energy, restoring your crystals to their natural vibration and ensuring they work optimally for your intentions.

You should cleanse your crystals when you first bring them home, after intense healing sessions, when they feel energetically heavy, or at least once a month during regular use.

What are the best methods for cleansing crystals?

Smoke Cleansing (Smudging)

Pass your crystal through the smoke of sage, palo santo, or incense. This is safe for all crystals and is particularly effective for clearing heavy energy. Move the crystal through the smoke for 30-60 seconds while setting the intention to clear all stagnant energy.

Moonlight

Place your crystals outside or on a windowsill during a full moon overnight. Moonlight is gentle and safe for all crystals, including those that fade in sunlight. The full moon's energy is particularly powerful for cleansing and recharging.

Sound Vibration

Use singing bowls, tuning forks, bells, or chanting to cleanse crystals through sound waves. Sound vibrations break up stagnant energy and restore the crystal's natural frequency. This method is safe for all crystals and especially effective for large collections.

Running Water

Hold your crystal under cool running water for 1-2 minutes, visualizing negative energy washing away. This works well for hard, water-safe stones like Clear Quartz, Amethyst, and Citrine. Caution: Do not use water on soft, porous, or water-soluble crystals (see below).

Earth Burial

Bury your crystal in the earth for 24 hours to several days. The earth naturally absorbs and neutralizes energy. Mark the spot well! This is excellent for deep cleansing but not practical for frequent use.

Selenite Cleansing (Easiest Method!)

Place your crystals on a selenite charging plate or near selenite tumbles, wands, or sticks for 4-6 hours. Selenite is self-cleansing and continuously cleanses other stones—no ritual required! This is the easiest, most beginner-friendly method for daily crystal care. Any form of selenite works: tumbles, charging plates, wands, or raw sticks. Simply place your crystals on or near selenite overnight for effortless cleansing.

Which crystals cannot get wet?

Some crystals are water-soluble, porous, or contain metals that can rust or deteriorate in water. Never cleanse these crystals with water:

Angelite - Porous and can be damaged
Calcite (all varieties) - Soft and porous, can deteriorate
Celestite - Fragile and water-sensitive
Desert Rose - Gypsum-based, dissolves in water
Fluorite - Soft and can be damaged by water
Halite (Salt) - Dissolves in water
Hematite - Can rust in water
Lepidolite - Contains lithium, can deteriorate
Malachite - Contains copper, can be toxic when wet
Pyrite - Contains iron sulfide, can rust and create toxic runoff
Selenite - Dissolves in water
Turquoise - Porous, can discolor or deteriorate

Safe alternative: Use smoke cleansing, moonlight, sound, or selenite for these crystals.

Can I cleanse crystals in salt or saltwater?

While salt is a traditional cleansing method, it can damage many crystals. Salt is abrasive and can scratch softer stones, and saltwater can corrode crystals containing metal or copper. If you choose to use salt, only use it with hard, non-porous stones like Clear Quartz or Amethyst, and use dry salt (bury the crystal in a bowl of salt for a few hours) rather than saltwater.

We recommend safer alternatives like smoke cleansing, moonlight, sound vibration, or selenite that work for all crystals without risk of damage.

How often should I cleanse my crystals?

The frequency depends on how you use your crystals:

Daily use or body contact: Cleanse weekly
Meditation or healing work: Cleanse after each intensive session
Display or environmental use: Cleanse monthly
After exposure to negative energy: Cleanse immediately
When they feel heavy or dull: Trust your intuition and cleanse as needed

Protective stones like Black Tourmaline or Obsidian that absorb negative energy should be cleansed more frequently—ideally weekly.

Charging & Programming Your Crystals

What's the difference between cleansing and charging?

Cleansing removes accumulated energy and returns the crystal to a neutral state. Charging fills the crystal with fresh, positive energy and amplifies its natural properties. Think of cleansing as emptying a cup and charging as filling it back up.

For best results, always cleanse your crystals before charging them.

How do I charge my crystals?

Sunlight

Place crystals in direct sunlight for 1-4 hours. Sunlight is energizing and powerful but can fade some crystals (Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Citrine, Fluorite). Use morning sunlight for gentler charging.

Moonlight

Leave crystals under moonlight overnight, especially during a full moon. Moonlight charges without risk of fading and is ideal for intuitive and emotional stones.

Earth Energy

Place crystals directly on the earth or bury them briefly to ground and recharge them with earth's natural energy.

Crystal Clusters

Place smaller crystals on Clear Quartz clusters or Selenite plates for 6-12 hours. These crystals amplify and charge other stones.

Intention & Visualization

Hold your crystal and visualize white or golden light filling it with energy while stating your intention. Your focused intention is one of the most powerful charging methods.

How do I program my crystals with intentions?

After cleansing and charging, hold your crystal in your hands, close your eyes, and take several deep breaths. Clearly state your intention aloud or in your mind—be specific about what you want the crystal to help you with. Visualize your intention flowing into the crystal as light or energy. The crystal will hold this intention and work to support your goal.

Examples: "I program this Rose Quartz to attract loving relationships," or "I program this Citrine to support my financial abundance."

Storing & Displaying Your Crystals

How should I store my crystals?

Store crystals in a clean, dry place away from direct sunlight (to prevent fading). You can use:

Display shelves or altars where you can see and connect with them
Fabric pouches or soft cloth bags to prevent scratching
Selenite bowls, charging plates, or selenite tumbles for storage and continuous cleansing
Wooden or lined boxes with compartments

Keep softer crystals (Selenite, Calcite) separate from harder stones (Quartz, Jasper) to prevent scratching.

Can I keep different crystals together?

Yes! Most crystals work harmoniously together. However, some practitioners prefer to store crystals with similar energies together (grounding stones with grounding stones, heart chakra stones together, etc.). Trust your intuition—if certain crystals feel like they should be together, honor that guidance.

Avoid storing very soft crystals with hard ones to prevent physical damage.

Where should I place crystals in my home?

Crystal placement depends on your intention. For guidance on using crystals in your space, visit our Understanding Feng Shui page to learn about the Bagua map and strategic crystal placement for different life areas.

General guidelines:

Bedroom: Calming stones like Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Selenite
Workspace: Focus and success stones like Citrine, Clear Quartz, Pyrite
Entryway: Protective stones like Black Tourmaline, Obsidian
Living areas: Harmonizing stones like Clear Quartz, Amethyst

Crystal Safety & Handling

Are crystals safe to touch and handle?

Most crystals are completely safe to handle. However, a few precautions:

Wash hands after handling: Malachite, Pyrite, Cinnabar, Realgar (contain toxic elements)
Don't make crystal elixirs with: Any crystal containing copper, lead, aluminum, or sulfur
Keep away from children and pets: Small tumbled stones (choking hazard) and toxic varieties
Handle with care: Fragile crystals like Selenite, Celestite, and thin crystal points

All crystals in our collection are safe for normal handling and display. We note any special care requirements in individual product descriptions.

Can I wear crystals in water (shower, swimming)?

It depends on the crystal. Water-safe crystals like Clear Quartz, Amethyst, and most Jaspers can be worn in water. However, avoid wearing crystal jewelry in chlorinated pools, saltwater, or hot tubs, as chemicals can damage settings and some stones.

Remove crystal jewelry before showering if it contains water-sensitive stones (see the list above) or if the jewelry has metal settings that could tarnish.

Troubleshooting

My crystal broke—what does it mean?

Crystals can break for physical reasons (dropped, pressure, temperature changes) or energetic reasons. Some believe a crystal breaks when it has absorbed all the negative energy it can hold, essentially sacrificing itself to protect you. Others believe it has completed its purpose with you.

If your crystal breaks, thank it for its service, cleanse the pieces, and either keep them, bury them in the earth, or place them in nature. You can also use broken pieces in crystal grids or plant pots.

My crystal feels energetically "dead" or heavy—what should I do?

This usually means your crystal needs a deep cleansing. Try burying it in the earth for 24-48 hours, or use smoke cleansing followed by a full moon charge. Sometimes crystals need a rest—put it away for a few weeks and work with other stones, then cleanse and recharge it before using it again.

Can I cleanse multiple crystals at once?

Absolutely! Smoke cleansing, moonlight, sound vibration, and selenite are excellent for cleansing multiple crystals simultaneously. You can place your entire collection outside during a full moon, pass smoke over a group of crystals, or arrange them on or around selenite overnight.

Learn More

Explore our educational resources to deepen your crystal practice:

Understanding Chakras - Learn which crystals support each energy center
Understanding Feng Shui - Discover how to place crystals in your space
The Science of Crystals - Understand the scientific foundation of crystal healing
Education Hub - Access all our crystal education resources

Have more questions? Contact us—we're happy to provide personalized guidance for your crystal care needs.

All our crystals are ethically sourced from suppliers who prioritize environmental sustainability and fair practices.