How to Cleanse Your Crystals Using the Smudging Technique

How to Cleanse Your Crystals with Smudging (and Other Beautiful Rituals)

When you work with crystals regularly, they can hold onto the energy of the spaces, people and emotions they move through. Cleansing them isn’t about fear or perfection – it’s about resetting their energy and reconnecting with your own intention.

Cleansing with Smoke: Sage & Palo Santo

Sage and palo santo have been used in different cultures for spiritual cleansing and blessing for thousands of years. When we use these tools at Gaiae, we do so with respect and intention – not as a trend, but as a way to honour the lineages they come from.

Smoke cleansing (often called smudging when using specific ceremonial herbs) can clear inharmonious or stagnant energy from:

• Crystals and ritual tools
• Rooms and workspaces
• Your own energy field / aura

What you’ll need

• A fire-safe bowl or dish (like a ceramic or clay bowl)
• Matches or a lighter
• White sage smudge stick and/or Palo santo sticks
• An open window or door if you’re indoors

Step 1: Set your intention

Before you light anything, take a moment to soften. Breathe. Place your hands over your heart or your crystals and decide what you’re calling in:

• Clear, grounded energy?
• Protection?
• Self-love? Calm? Fresh beginnings?

Your mindset is a huge part of the ritual. The smoke is an ally, but your intention is the real magic.

Step 2: Light your sage or palo santo

Carefully light the tip of your sage bundle or palo santo stick. Let it catch for a few seconds, then gently blow out the flame so the end is glowing and releasing smoke.

If you’re inside, stand near an open window or door so the smoke (and any heavy energy) has somewhere to go.

Step 3: Cleanse your crystals

Hold your crystal in your non-dominant hand (the receiving hand) and your sage or palo santo in the other. Slowly pass your crystal through the smoke, or waft the smoke over your crystal using your hand or a feather.

• Let the smoke completely envelop each stone.
• Stay here for around 30–60 seconds per crystal.
• If a stone feels especially “heavy”, trust your intuition and smudge for a little longer.

As you do this, you might silently say an intention like: “I release any energy that’s not mine or not for my highest good. I ask that this crystal be cleared and recharged for loving, aligned use.”

Step 4: Cleanse your space (optional)

If you’re feeling called, you can also walk around your home or ritual space and gently guide the smoke into:

• Corners of each room
• Around doorways and windows
• Over your altar or bedside

Move slowly and keep windows/doors open so the smoke and any stagnant energy can disperse.

Safety note: Always stay present and mindful when working with fire and smoke. Keep a dish underneath your sage or palo santo to catch falling ash and make sure everything is fully extinguished when you’re done.

When Should You Cleanse Your Crystals?

There’s no strict rulebook, but here are some common times people like to cleanse:

• When you first bring them home – to clear any energy from packaging, shipping or shop handling.
• After intense times – big emotions, arguments, breakups, grief, heavy sessions or shadow work.
• After lots of use in ritual – especially if you’re using crystals in client work or energy sessions.
• On a rhythm that feels good to you – some people cleanse monthly, others every 3–6 months, or with the moon cycles.

If life has been especially stressful, cleansing your crystals (and your space) once a month can feel like a beautiful energetic reset.

Alternative Ways to Cleanse Your Crystals

Smoke isn’t the only way. If smudging doesn’t feel right for you or isn’t practical, there are other gentle options:

1. Moonlight

Place your crystals on a windowsill or safe outdoor spot under the moon, especially around the full moon.

• Great for most stones, especially softer, more yin energies.
• Leave them out overnight and bring them in before direct morning sun if they’re light-sensitive.

2. Gentle Sunlight

A short time in soft morning light can energise some crystals.

• Avoid long, direct sun exposure for colour-sensitive crystals like amethyst, rose quartz and some others, as they can fade.

3. Sound

Use sound from a singing bowl, chimes, tuning forks or even your own voice.

• Place your crystals near the source of the sound.
• Let the vibrations move through them for a few minutes.

4. Breath & Visualisation

Hold the crystal in your hands, close your eyes and visualise it being filled with light.

• Imagine any heaviness dissolving and draining away.
• You can gently blow over the stone as you imagine clearing energy with your exhale.

5. Water (for some stones only)

Some crystals can be briefly rinsed under running water or placed in a bowl of water, but many cannot.

• Avoid water for soft or water-sensitive stones (like selenite, malachite and others that can dissolve or be damaged).
• Always check if your specific stone is water-safe before using this method.

6. Salt or Earth (with care)

Some people like to place crystals on a bed of salt or bury them in soil for a short period to let the earth absorb stagnant energy.

• Salt can scratch or damage softer stones, so use a cloth layer if needed.
• Make sure outdoor soil is clean and dry, and that you’ll remember where you buried them!