Crystals that live on altars should be cleaned on average once a month. If you wear a crystal or meditate with a crystal daily, it should be cleaned once a week. Cleaning is necessary because it removes any dense or stale energy the crystal may have picked up in its environment, or from you.
If someone else touches your crystal—which you want to avoid—it needs to be cleaned immediately before you wear it or use it again.
People automatically want to touch stones, as they are pretty, shiny—and filled with your personal, sparkly energy. A crystal becomes personally attuned to you and nobody else should put their vibration or energy on it.
There are a few different ways to clean stones—you can do any of the following:
1. Bury them in dirt for a week. Returning your crystals and stones to the earth allows them to cleanse and recharge with the vibration of the earth.
2. Wash them in salt water: Salt purifies and absorbs negative energy.
(Please Note: Some crystals disintegrate when wet.
Common stones that can’t get wet include: amber, turquoise, red coral, fire opal, moonstone, calcite, kyanite, kunzite, angelite, azurite, selenite.
A good rule of thumb: Many stones that end in “ite” are not water-friendly.)
3. Leave the crystals out in the moonlight for three days prior and three days after the full moon (or for at least 24 hours). Lunar energy helps cleanse and charge the stones, and the moon’s light is brightest and energetically strongest during the full moon.
4. Wipe them with a soft cloth and isopropyl alcohol to remove fingerprints and to sanitize.
5. Burn sage and run the stone through the smoke because it is purifying.
Happy Cleaning!
I make no claim on being a crystal expert as I am still learning and gathering information. Just thought it is fun to pass on what I am learning!