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Jan 18 2008

Cleaning Crystals and Stones

Posted by Robyn in Crystals, tags: , ,

Cleaning stones and clearing stones isn’t the same thing. Clearing a stone is getting rid of any negative or unwanted energies the stone may have absorbed from its environment. Cleaning a stone is getting rid of unwanted dirt or other substances on the surface of the stone. Some methods will do both at the same time, but its easiest to think of them as two separate tasks.

When cleaning a crystal or stone, the main thing to consider is the type of stone you’re cleaning. Look up the mohs hardness of your stone with a reputable source, such as MinDat.org or UC Berkeley.

For the most part, water and possibly a mild soap, are the best things to clean stones with. Soft stones, those with a mohs hardness of 4 or less, may be very porous and may absorb chemicals or detergents when you are cleaning them. These stones should not be cleaned with anything harsher than specialized cleaning solutions or just plain water.

Do Not Place in Chemical Cleaners
(This is a partial list! If in doubt, don’t put it in any chemicals!)
Amber
Aquamarine
Coral
Emerald
Jade
Lapis Lazuli
Malachite
Opal
Pearls
Shell
Turquoise

Other stones, such as halite, which is a salt, will dissolve in water, so they should only be dusted lightly. Quartz crystal and harder stones can be cleaned with heavier detergents or cleaners if needed. In fact, in many crystal mines, the crystals are cleaned with oxalic acid to remove iron stains before they are shipped out. Harsh cleaners can also damage the finish on polished stones or abrade the surfaces.

I recommend using the mildest possible method of cleaning your crystals and stones, as this is least disruptive of their energies. And from there you go on to clear the energies of your stones.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Crystals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Cleaning Crystals and Stones”
  1. Age says:
    January 9, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    I just use cool or warm water.

    Stones are way cooler with the minerals and metals still on them. The less a stone can be altered from it’s natural state the better. I have a quartz that a miner gave me before it had a chance to have the calcite washed off of it, and I find it more powerful then ones I have that were made to look cleaner by removing minerals and elements naturally present on their surface.

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