7 Ways To Cleanse the Best Thrift Store Treasures

When you live life on a budget, the easiest place to find some of your basic witchy needs for cheap is in a thrift store. The bad news….. we don’t know where many of these items have lived before, and what kind of energy they could be harboring. The good news is it’s a really easy fix! In this article, I will be sharing 7 different ways you can easily cleanse any 2nd hand items you find that can be used towards your practice. 

Cleansing your items is a great way to make them yours. Here are seven easy ways to cleanse items from thrift stores!

1. Smoke Cleanse Your Thrift Store Treasures

This may be one of the most well-known ways to cleanse a space or item and can be done with many types of plants or incense. Cedar, for example, is best used when clearing any energy placed by the previous owner and also used to attract good spirits while eliminating negative energies. Rosemary can be used the same way as well, a perfect herb for giving a fresh start for the item you are cleansing. 

smoke cleanse your thrift store objects

Bay leaf is another common way to cleanse any negative energy that may be attached to an object. This is just to name a few, there is a wide variety of plants/herbs you can use, and some may be available already in nature around you.

To cleanse your thrift store treasures, light your herbs in a safe place and gently waft the smoke over the items while envisioning them surrounded in a bright white light. You can cast a circle if it feels right to you.

2. Sound Cleanse Your New Items

If smoke is something that you or someone in your household is sensitive to, you can use sound to clear away any unwanted energy. The beautiful thing about this method is that almost any type of sound can be used, even your voice if you prefer to sing or don’t have an instrument handy. 

tibetan singing bowl to cleanse your items

Sound has been used for thousands of years across many different cultures as a way to purify. One of the earliest items used for this method is Tibetan singing bowls. Another easy way to cleanse items is with drums, and you can use almost anything as a drum making this the most convenient way to cleanse. The rhythm and vibrations of drumming can clear and balance the energy of any item or space. 

If all else fails, and you don’t have any physical items you can use as an instrument, you can use your voice by either speaking or singing whatever may come to mind. The sound vibrations and intentions in your thoughts are what bring the energy personal to you and what you need. 

3. Salt Bowls To Cleanse Your Items

Everyone has salt in their kitchens. N, no matter the type, you can use salt to purify your items. Originating in Japan, known as “Mori Shio” salt can be placed in a bowl (with a mix of other herbs and intentions, whatever you desire) and sprinkled over any item you want to wash clean of unwanted energy. 

Salt on a wooden bowl to cleanse items

Place the item you want to cleanse in a dish on a bed of salt and sprinkle salt over the item. You can speak your intentions as you sprinkle out loud or in your head, whether it be to cleanse the item or place new intentions into your finds. You can leave it there for a day or two, and after you can keep the bowl by your front door or in a specific room to keep up the good energy in your home. 

Always double check if your item will be okay sitting in salt, if there is any water present, salt can corrode certain metals. If the item is precious, consider using a different method.

4. A Simple Water Cleanse

If the item you are cleansing can be submerged or rinsed in water, and you have a natural water source nearby you can rinse your item of negative energy. Water has always been associated with purity, even in organized religion, people are often baptized with water to start anew. 

Person cleaning hands under water

Springwater, river water, rainwater, lake water, and even ocean water can all be used to naturally cleanse most objects. If you want to add an extra oomph to your water, you can leave it under the light of the moon overnight to be charged. Just be sure to look up the phases of the moon that night, each phase can add extra intentions to your water. 

The new moon might be best for cleansing new items since that phase helps with new beginnings. Always double check if the item you wish to cleanse is okay in water, some types of crystals can be damaged this way.

5. Crystal Cleansing

Clear quartz, hematite, black obsidian, amethyst, and selenite are just some of the few crystals you can use to push out negative energy anytime and anywhere. Simply place your desired crystals around the object you wish to cleanse and leave it there for as long as you feel necessary. 

White and gray stone on brown wooden table

You can even hold the object and the crystal and speak your intentions into place. Be sure to recharge your crystals when you are done to be used again.

6. Earth / Dirt / Soil Will Cleanse Anything

Believe it or not, dirt can cleanse items as well and is easily attainable, it can be found anywhere! The earth holds a lot of energy and power and it can even help us even out negative energy in our own bodies. 

Close up photo of person holding sand

Use this to your advantage by burying whatever you want to cleanse in your backyard or garden. If you want, you can place your item into a cloth bag to keep it from getting too dirty, or you can give it a water rinse after you have recovered it from the ground. Leave it there for at least one night so it can absorb energy from the moon as well or you can leave it there for as long as you want. 

7. Your Own Energy

Happy thoughts, happy intentions. You can imagine a warm glow emanating from your core, you can imagine your happy place where nothing else matters. Use your own energy to push out the negative and fill it with the positive. You can create your own mantras to repeat to yourself while you hold the item you wish to cleanse. Imagine your own energy taking over your item and you can do this for as long as you wish. 

This method can be used anywhere and is perfect when you don’t have anything on hand. I like to look at it as a form of self-care as well, meditating can help calm anxiety and stress. A fantastic way to clear negative energy in yourself as well as your 2nd hand finds. 

If you feel like you do not have the energy inside to cleanse, Reiki can be an amazing experience to clear your own energy and heal yourself from the inside out. 

There Are No Limits 

With these methods, any items you claim for your practice can be cleansed and filled filled with all the intentions you desire. There are no limits to your ability to spread positive energy and light on the world and your space. Grab some friends and have a thrift shopping day! You will be amazed at some of the beautiful treasures you can find buried in a 2nd hand shop. 

With love, 

Raine Enair

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