Crystals hold energy, so after you get a crystal it is important to clean it right away.

There are lots of ways to clean crystals from soaking them in salt, to using your mind, to placing them on a crystal cluster. Although it really depends on your preference on how you want to clean them, there are benefits and draw backs to some of the methods.

For instance I think that burying stones in the earth and leaving them for a few days at least is a great method, but it takes time. I’m usually impatient to get to know my crystals, so this isn’t a cleaning method I choose unless I have a crystal that is just weighed down with other energies and needs the time to release its old energies slowly, connect to Mother Earth and be balanced and charged before I use it.

The 3 best ways I prefer to clean crystals by are smudging, using bergamot essential oil or soaking them in naturally occuring water. Remember it’s important to know the hardness of your crystals because certain crystals like Selenite will actually dissolve or be damaged if placed in water or salt water.

Smudging is a native tradition to remove old or unwanted energies that can be used to clean crystals. California White Sage is burned, blown out and then the crystal can be held in the smoke. I always offer a prayer to the sage and sacred smoke created by the plant and fire asking that the crystal be cleaned and cleared. Hold the crystal in the smoke for a few seconds until you feel it is cleared and then you are done. This is one of the most powerful, quickest and easiest ways to clean your crystals.

Another method I use is putting a few drops of Bergamot essential oil in water to clean crystals. Bergamot is a pure essential oil from the peel of Bergamot citrus fruit originating in Italy. Bergamot essential oil frees energy and works in synergy with the way crystals release their energy. To use: First look up your crystal and make sure it can handle water. Then fill a clear glass of water half way full, put 5 drops of Bergamot essential oil per 8oz of water and hold in between your hands. Ask that the water and Bergamot clean and clear the crystals placed in the glass. Place the crystals in the glass, and leave overnight. The next day, rinse and dry the crystals. Make sure to charge your crystals within the first week you have it too. Bergamot essential oil can be purchased at any health food store or on line at MountainRoseHerbs.com.

The last method I use a lot is cleaning crystals in naturally occuring water. This method also charges or recharges your crystals at the same time as cleaning them. You can use this method several different ways with collected rain water, placing crystals out in the rain or snow, holding them in ocean (waves are strongest), placing them in water at a lake or soaking them in a river. When placing your crystals in any kind of naturally occurring water make sure your crystals can tolerate water, make sure to put them in a nylon stocking (I buy the knee high ones just for this) so they don’t get lost and make sure to stay close by so someone else doesn’t accidently find them! When I go up in to the mountains I always take a few (a few crystals to me is like 20 plus) crystals to clean and recharge in the rivers. I just slip the crystals into the nylon stocking, tie it loosely and place it in the running water – most of the time I just hold on to the stocking for a minute or two and then thank the river.

These are the 3 best ways to clean your new crystals: smudging, bergamot essential oil and naturally occurring water.

P.S. Please let me know how these methods worked for you by commenting below!