How to Cleanse Citrine

Co-authored by Angel Eyedealism and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: March 18, 2024 References

Citrine is touted as a powerful, self-purifying crystal, but does that mean it never needs cleansing? It takes a lot of negative energy in a short amount of time to make citrine lose some of its radiance and healing abilities, but it can happen. On the rare occasion where you feel your citrine faltering, there are a variety of simple rituals you can perform at home. We’ve put together a helpful list of safe ways to cleanse citrine. If you’re ready to restore its beautiful yellow shine and healing abilities, keep scrolling!

1

Hold it under running water for 2 minutes.

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Water is a powerful natural cleanser for crystals. Hold your citrine under a stream of running water for up to 2 minutes to cleanse it. A natural body like a river or creek is best, but tap water at home works too. Pat the stone dry or let it air dry in the sun for a few moments.^{[1]
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- Imagine the flowing water carrying away the citrine’s impurities while you hold it.
- This quick cleanse is great when you don’t have time for an overnight soak or other, more complicated cleansing ritual.
- Perform this ritual about once a week since it doesn’t cure impurities for very long.

2

Wash the crystal with soap and water.

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Soap and water is an easy way to physically cleanse your citrine. Use a soft brush (like an old toothbrush) to gently scrub your stone with warm water and a mild soap. Rinse the stone once you’re done and pat or air dry it.^{[2]
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- Alternatively, just give your stone a good rub down with a clean cloth dampened with warm water.
- Stay away from soaps or cleaners with harsh chemicals like alcohol, ammonia, chlorine, or bleach.

3

Smudge it with sage smoke.

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Sage has been a revered cleansing material for thousands of years. First, light the end of a sage stick until it begins to smoke and place the sage in a metal, ceramic, or heat-resistant bowl. Grab your citrine and slowly wave it through the rising sage smoke, focusing on positive thoughts.^{[3]
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- If you prefer, hold the citrine in one hand and waft smoke over it with a feather or fan in the other hand.
- Imagine the stone’s impurities drifting away into the air along with the smoke. Continue smudging for a few minutes or until you feel the crystal is renewed.
- This method is recommended for citrine jewelry, like necklaces or bracelets.

4

Cleanse the citrine with incense smoke.

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Incense clears crystals (and the space around them) of negative energy. Light the end of an incense stick and let it burn for a moment. Then blow it out and place the opposite end in an incense holder. As the incense smoke billows, grab your citrine and slowly waft the stone through the smoke.^{[4]
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- Send positive thoughts to your citrine while you move it through the smoke.
- To cleanse citrine for a specific use, try floral incense to alleviate anxiety, cedar or sandalwood for wealth and health, or jasmine to connect with your spirituality.
- Incense is different from smudging, which uses ritualistic herbs like sage or Palo Santo.

5

Leave the stone under the moonlight overnight.

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Moonlight is a pure, benevolent cleanser and charger. On a clear night, lay your citrine in a safe spot outside or on a windowsill that gets lots of moonlight. Let it sit overnight and absorb the moon’s energy and silvery light. For the best results, perform this ritual during a full moon.^{[5]
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- Some stones can be cleansed in a similar way with sunlight. Do not let your citrine stay in the sun for more than a few minutes or its color will fade.^{[6]
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6

Soak the citrine in moon water overnight.

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Moon water combines the cleansing properties of the moon and water. At night, fill a bowl or jar with fresh water and place it on a windowsill, balcony, or patio where there’s moonlight. Add your citrine to the jar and leave it to steep overnight. Bring it inside before sunrise to prevent heat damage to the crystal.^{[7]
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- Pat the stone with a cloth or let it air dry afterwards.
- For the strongest cleanse, perform this ritual on a clear night during a full moon.
- Cover the jar to keep the water clean, or leave it uncovered—the ritual works either way.
- Citrine is a relatively hard stone (a 7 on the Mohs scale) that can withstand long exposure to clean, saltless water.

7

Bury the crystal in brown rice for 24 hours.

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Brown rice is easily available and great at absorbing negative energy. Fill a bowl with clean, uncooked brown rice and place your citrine on top. Add more rice until the crystal is totally covered and let it sit for up to 24 hours (or until you feel the negative energy disappear).^{[8]
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- Rinse and dry the stone after you remove it from the rice.
- Throw out the rice afterward since it’s contaminated by negative energy (definitely don’t try to cook or eat it!).

8

Rest the stone on Himalayan salt for 24 hours.

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Salt is excellent at absorbing negative energies from crystals. Fill a small bowl with Himalayan salt and place the citrine on top. If desired, pour more salt on top of the stone so it is partially or fully buried. Let it sit in the salt until you sense that it’s cleansed (up to 24 hours).^{[9]
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- Remove the citrine and rinse away any salt with tap water. Pat or air dry.
- Only use dry salt. Citrine is vulnerable to damage if it’s exposed to saltwater for a long time (a quick rinse after letting it sit in salt is fine, though).

9

Bury the crystal and leave it for 3 days.

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Earth and soil can absorb large amounts of bad energy in one session. Look for a spot surrounded by nature, like in a garden or forest. Dig a shallow hole and bury the citrine completely, leaving it in the dirt for at least 3 days. Afterward, rinse and dry it.^{[10]
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- If you’re cleansing your citrine for the very first time, leave it in the earth for about a week.
- Earth cleansing is considered one of the most powerful, effective, and natural ways to cleanse a crystal (they come from the earth, after all!).
- Your citrine will also absorb great healing energy from the earth while it’s buried.

10

Use selenite to absorb negative energy.

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Selenite is a self-cleansing crystal that purifies other stones as well. Grab a selenite slab, stick, or bowl and set your citrine in or on top of it (as long as the stones are touching, you’re good). Let the citrine rest for a few hours and it’ll be cleansed, good as new.^{[11]
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- Citrine also has self-cleansing capabilities. When combined with selenite, this crystal duo has powerful cleansing prowess.
- This method works great for citrine jewelry as well.

11

Nestle the citrine in snow for a few hours.

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Snow is an especially purifying form of water. Scoop up some fresh, pure snow and fill a bowl with it. Place your citrine on top of the snow and let it sit for a few hours as the snow melts, washing away the stone’s impurities. When all the snow melts, remove the citrine and dry it off.^{[12]
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- For a stronger cleanse, leave the citrine outside on top of fresh snow at night while the moon is shining.
- Fresh snow represents purity, self reflection, new beginnings, and a clean slate.

12

Bathe the stone in sound waves for 10 minutes.

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Sound waves realign the citrine’s vibrational energy. Use a tuning fork, bell, or singing bowl to generate a constant pitch for about 5 to 10 minutes. Imagine the sound waves washing over the stone, causing it to vibrate and release any negative energy into the air.^{[13]
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- If you don’t have a singing bowl or tuning fork, just chant a steady pitch until the stone feels renewed.
- Sound waves are great for cleansing large collections of crystals at once and very large, heavy stones that can’t be easily moved.

13

Use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean your crystal.

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Ultrasonic cleaners remove physical contaminants from the stone. They’re normally used for jewelry or surgical instruments, but can cleanse citrine as well. In the machine, intense sound waves are projected through a liquid cleaner to remove microscopic impurities and dirt.^{[14]
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- Just place your stone inside and let the ultrasonic cleaner do its work!
- Avoid an ultrasonic cleaner if your citrine has been dyed or has pre-existing cracks (filled or unfilled).
- Ultrasonic cleaners can get inside minute holes, crevices, and contours invisible to the naked eye.

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Tips

All of these cleansing methods are effective, so choose whichever one you feel connected to the most.

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Send your citrine positive thoughts and energy during cleansing. It will help you bond with your crystal and strengthen its unique properties.

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Warnings

Never use steam cleaning on your citrine since the exposure to heat could make it crack.^{[15]
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Keep your citrine away from harsh chemicals including bleach, denatured alcohol, ammonia, acetone, chlorine, ammonium fluoride, hydrofluoric acid, and alkaline solutions.^{[16]
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