Malachite is a perfect stone to carry with you if you feel you could use a little help warding off negative energies, as well as some more (self)love in your life. However, if you want to make sure it continues to work for you, it needs to be cleansed regularly. Though crystals are often cleansed with water, this is not recommended for malachite.
Malachite cannot go in water. It has a 3,5 on the Mohs scale, meaning it can become brittle and break when left to soak. Water that has come into contact with malachite should NOT be ingested, as is likely toxic. Safe ways to cleanse malachite are dry salt, smoke cleansing, sound, selenite or burying it.
Continue reading if you want to know more about why malachite and water should never be combined, as well as how to cleanse your stone without water. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find a quick overview of the malachite properties.
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Also Read: The Complete Guide To Wearing Malachite
Can Malachite Go In Water (Explained)
Malachite cannot go in water. The stones scores a relatively low 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This scale provides each mineral with a number from 1-10. The lower the number, the softer the stone. For reference, talc is a 1 whereas diamonds get a 10.
As a general rule, a mineral should have at least a 5 to be able to be safely submerged in water, without immediate damage. I say immediate, as every stone that is left to soak in water will eventually be damaged. Reason for this is that all stones, polished or raw, have tiny cracks in its surface. Water will go into those cracks and expand them. When a stone has a relatively high hardness, the cracks will gexpand much slower. Malachite’s low score means it is relatively soft and the cracks easily expand. It is therefore best to keep it out of water.
Now, as malachite isn’t as soft as talc it won’t immediately dissolve when it comes into contact with water. If you really want to get rid of some dirt on your stone you could quickly rinse it off. Again, don’t soak it though.
Besides, the speed at which your malachite is damaged also varies depending on whether the stone has a finish or is otherwise sealed. Polished stones generally have some sort of coating, which will dissolve first, protecting your stone for a little longer.
- Also Read: Jade vs. Malachite – What’s The Difference?
Another reason to avoid letting malachite come into contact with water, is that this stone has such a beautiful color because of the copper compounds. Depending on your stone, this can make up about 50-60% of your stone. As you might know, leaving any sort of metal in water should be avoided. If you leave malachite in water, it will release toxic fumes as a result of the reaction of the copper with water. This will turn the water toxic.
It is therefore not only recommended to not soak your stone, but to also take malachite rings off when cleaning and not showering or swimming with malachite jewelry. Don’t be too worried though, malachite will only have these effects if you leave it to soak or if the stone is unprocessed (raw). So your sweat or a few splashes of water get on your jewelry won’t poison you. It is safe to wear – if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be sold as jewelry.
As a result of its toxicity, it is not recommended to make crystal elixirs with malachite. If you want the benefits of a malachite elixir without the toxicants, scroll down to “Is Malachite Toxic Or Otherwise Poisonous” to see my suggestions for stones with similar properties that are safe in water.
Lastly, if your malachite does end up with water damage, this shouldn’t immediately be a problem. Some would argue that this renders your stone unusable, but I have found otherwise. It is really up to you – pick it up and check in with its energy. If it doesn’t feel good anymore, you might be better off getting a new one.
Can Malachite Go In Tap Water?
Malachite should not go in any water, this includes tap water. If you do find you need to quickly rinse your stone, tap water won’t do more or less damage than any other water. Be careful that malachite will leave water toxic if left to soak.
Can Malachite Go In Salt Water?
Malachite should avoid all water, including salt water.
Firstly, malachite will turn any water that it comes into prolonged contact with toxic. To make sure you and animals around you are safe, it is best to keep these two apart.
The second reason malachite should not go in water is that it is a relatively soft stone. As previously explained fresh water will already cause the miniscule cracks in the stone to expand. The problem with salt water is that it speeds up the process even more. This is because whereas water will eventually evaporate, but the grains of salt will remain. These causes the cracks to expand quicker and break your stone apart, or at least turn it brittle.
Beware that raw malachite and geodes have even more cracks and are thus even more vulnerable to salt water. they are also more likely to release toxicants.
Is Malachite Water Toxic Or Otherwise Dangerous?
Malachite can turn water toxic, but only if it has come into contact with a raw stone, or you have left a polished stone to soak for a while. The real danger with malachite occurs when it is being processed and broken down, as the malachite dust is extremely toxic.
Still, please never let malachite come into contact with your drinking water. It is simply not worth the risk. If you were hoping to use malachite in an elixir here are some other suggestions, with similar properties to malachite, that are safe to use in water:
- Clear quartz – “The Master Healer” to help with emotional and physical healing.
- Rose quartz – to help balance the heart chakra and to bring more love into your life.
- Moss agate – to support you through times of change and bring positivity.
- Amethyst – to help with spiritual growth, awareness and to relieve anxiety.
I have created a step by step guide on how to create elixirs using these stones, which you can find by clicking on the stone.
I Put My Malachite In Water, What Do I Do Now?
Remove it from the water as soon as possible and dry it with a soft cloth. Be extra careful with handling your stone from now on, as the integrity will be compromised. Also make sure you dispose of the water immediately, because if you left it to soak, it will most likely be toxic. Don’t water your plants with it and certainly don’t drink it. Apart from that, there isn’t much that you can do.
Unfortunately, damage to your malachite cannot be reversed. Some believe that as soon as your stone is damaged by water it loses its positive energy and is left unusable. I would recommend following your intuition and feeling its energy. If you feel it is still giving off positive energy, continue to use it! If not, you might be better off buying a new stone.
How To Cleanse Malachite Without Water?
So, how do you cleanse your malachite without water? There are several options, such as dry salt, smoke cleansing, sound, selenite or burying it (in brown rice or dirt).
Sound
Using sound is one of the safest ways to cleanse your stone, as it does not require you (or anything, really) to touch your stone. Besides, sound not only cleanses, but also charges your stone. It’s a timesaver!
To cleanse and charge with this method, you can use a tuning fork, singing bowl or a YouTube video. Simply sit with your stone and make sure your energy is light. Say your intention for the stone out loud and let the sound fill the room. If you like, you can keep the stone in your hand and visualize the low vibrations leaving the stone and it being filled with the positive energy from the music. It is ready when you feel like it is.
As singing bowls can get quite expensive, I like to use YouTube videos. I’ll leave my favorite below.
Smoke Cleansing
Smoke cleansing is another very popular method of cleansing crystals, as it does not require your stone to be touched by anything.
In order to do this, you can light some herbs, blow out the flame, and waft the cleansing smoke over your crystals. As always, it is ready when you feel it is.
NOTE: Beware that using the term ‘smudging’ and the practice of burning white sage/palo santo is commonly used in the spiritual community. This is a specific type of smoke cleansing used by Native Americans, and which was illegal up until about 40 years ago. We recommend using a form of smoke cleansing that is appropriate for you and your culture.
Salt
Though salt is really rather abrasive and may cause your malachite to become dull over time, some find salt the perfect method to cleanse their malachite as it is remarkably good at drawing out negative energy.
To cleanse your crystal this way, follow these steps:
- Fill a glass bowl with a layer of salt and place your malachite on top of it. Make sure the stone makes full contact with the salt, but do not bury it. This will only increase your risk of damaging your stone. When you’re cleansing a piece of jewelry with malachite in it, ensure the clasp is closed an preferably wrapped in a soft cloth. You really don’t want salt getting into the clasp and causing damage there.
- Leave your stone on the salt for however long you feel like it needs. Most would go for between 2-7 hours. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it for longer as, this increases your risk of damaging the malachite. If you want to know if it’s ready, simply pick it up and check in with the energy. You’ll know when it feels right.
- When ready, remove the stone and gently wipe away the salt using a soft, dry cloth.
- Always make sure you throw away the salt when you are done. It has absorbed all the low vibrations from the stone and you don’t want to ingest that.
- Charge your stone, using moonlight, sound or selenite.
Bury it
This is a good method for stones with an energy that feels heavier than you would expect. Perhaps because you haven’t used them in a while, or if they were previously owned by someone else.
Just bury it in your garden and leave it there for a few hours, days or months. The length of time differs per stone, so it is best to just check in and feel the energy.
If you don’t have a garden, you could also place your malachite in a bowl or brown rice. This may sound a bit odd, but rice is actually really great at drawing out negative energies. I like this method as the grains are soft and won’t scratch or otherwise damage your stone.
Simply place it in a bowl of (uncooked) brown rice for as long as you think is needed. I like to leave it for at least 7 hours, but you might want to leave it for longer. Just check on how the stone feels.
After cleansing, make sure you throw the rice away. It has absorbed all the negative energy and you don’t want to put all of that in your body by eating it.
Malachite Overview
Chakra: Heart
Element: Earth
Zodiac: Capricorn
Benefits: Peace | Transformation | Healing | (Self)love
Malachite is a protective stone that will ward off negative energies and clear your chakras. It’s green color means it is heavily associated with the heart chakra, so it is great in helping you with matters of (self)love. Malachite is also a wonderfully calming stone, which means it can help you relieve anxiety and nerves.
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