sea-lestial-dreamer:

• Cleanse crystals when you first get them to remove random, built up energies.
• Crystals used regularly should be cleansed regularly– once a month. 
• Cleansing helps crystals return to their natural state– they work their best when they’re nicely cleansed and charged.

• Crystals should be cleansed more often that charged. It’s more important to cleanse them of built up energy than to just keep recharging them.

• A few crystals never need cleansing, such as Kyanite & Citrine.

Methods

•Sunlight: Many crystals love sun bathing for a few hours.
• Others fade: both Rose & Smokey Quartz, Amethyst, Celestite, Citrine, Topaz, Kunzite, Fluorite, Turquoise, Aquamarine, to name a few. Opal will dry out.
•Water: Visualize negative & stale energies leave your crystal as you place it under cool, running water. 
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Crystals with iron, such as Hematite, Magnetite & Obsidians (like Tektite) will rust in water. Halite, Desert Rose, Pink Salt, Selenite, & Malachite (again, to name a few) will dissolve. Crystals with a MOH hardness of 5 or less shouldn’t be put in water. 
**This is a general guide with basic examples, so please research your crystals to see if they can be safely put in water or under sunlight etc.**

•Bury it: bury it in a pot, or in the ground. Only crystals with a MOH hardness of 6 can withstand this–due to moisture & potential rain. Do research & be cautious. Keep in mind that crystals with crevices may trap dirt, whereas tumbles stones should stay cleaner.

•Salt: Crystals with a MOH hardness of 7+ can generally be placed in salt water. Crystals can be placed in salt alone. Exercise caution & do research! Salt cleansing is very effective, but can ruin many crystals!

Safest Methods

•Flower petals: Any petals work. Flowers have healing properties, and can transfer those. Rose & Lavender promote relaxation & healing. (safest to use petals that aren’t fresh/moist, though it shouldn’t affect crystals)

•Brown rice: Safer alternative to salt; don’t reuse same rice, use once.

•Other crystals: Place your crystal on top of Amethyst, in a bag/bowl with tumbled Carnelian, or surround it with Quartz.
•Full moon light: Extremely safe method; suitable for countless crystals. Best to let them soak in light from moonrise– set.
•Sound: Use a bell, singing bowl, or chimes. If you don’t have these, you can find plenty on YouTube. Here’s a 10 hour long Tibetan singing bowl video.
•Smoke/Incense cleansing: Sage, Basil, Rosemary, Lavender, Birch Cedar, Juniper, Peppermint, Vervain, Frankincense & Myrrh are some of many options. Respect cultures– don’t smudge! White Sage is facing endangerment, and Palo Santo is also at risk.

Avoid White Sage & Palo Santo, because they are sacred plants for Indigenous cultures. 
•Alternatives to smoke/incense cleansing if you cannot/do not want to use something smoky *not necessarily “safe methods”*