[Help] Cleaning Altar supplies

[lumineth Realm Lord]

1. How often do you clean your supplies?
2. When you do, do you do it at a specific hour?
3. Do you use regular cleaning supplies, holy water, or consecrated cleaning supplies?

 

[HellenaHex]

I try to cleanse my items once a week or the next day after a more malicious ritual. I’m sure you could be particular with times and days but I’ve had successes doing it my way so I figure there’s no need to complicate it if it works. Especially since I do overly complex spells and rituals normally.

So I have special dusting tools just for my altar items. I use warm water mixed with lavender cleaning vinegar for actual scrubbing or sometimes I use a four thieves mix. I only do scrubbing as needed. I will use cleansing smoke such as juniper, sage, cedar (don’t use near small animals it’s toxic to them), cypress, etc to purify, cleanse, or bless my altar. I wash my ceramic items by hand in warm water with a gentle soap. If you have a liquid smudge made you can mist that over your items assuming they can withstand slight moisture. You can also let in some fresh air or sunshine. Avoid direct sunlight on colored crystals since it can bleach them, and altars to dark/night/shadow entities because it offends them.

You could also sprinkle a mix of lavender, chamomile, and sea salt on your altar and then sweep it up and put it in the trash outside. I like to make my own cleaners so most of mine are already ritually made with cleansing, peaceful, or protective magic in mind but that isn’t necessary just extra. And finally I like to use a lemon polish on my wood furniture where the items are. The most complex step is that after cleaning my dusting tools I cleanse them in purifying smoke after they are dry before putting them away for later use.

 

[Ziran]

1. How often do you clean your supplies?

The utensils are cleaned then dipped in a mikvah to consecrate them for service. After that, they don't need to be cleaned for the rituals Im doing.

2. When you do, do you do it at a specific hour?

No, it's usually in the morning, but, it can be anytime.

3. Do you use regular cleaning supplies, holy water, or consecrated cleaning supplies?

The initial cleaning is mundane. Soap and water or some other solvent and a clean rag works fine. The dipping in the mikvah requires a source of "living water". I live near a river, so that's where I go for the ritual immersion.

Eta: apologies, I forgot to mention, the above assumes the utensils are new, store-bought, and never used previously. For utensils which have been used for cooking, they need to be cleaned, fired, then dipped in a mikvah prior to ritual use. Many put the utensils in the oven, set to broil, leave the utensils in there for a while, and call it good. In my community we use a butane torch, make the utensils red hot, then let it cool, then dip it.

 

[Morell]

Consecrating is different question, but about cleaning:

Use common sense.

Altar shouldn't ever have spider webs around it unless it's Halloween dekor and it shouldn't be dusty as is proper for a any sacred space.

Tools the same, with some being cleaned more often, depending on use. For example things that are used for drawing blood should be cleaned before every use.

If after ritual (or any work) there is any mess, clean it up right away. Sacred space should be clean, as if it were space always ready to welcome visitors.


1. How often do you clean your supplies?
Whenever it is needed.
2. When you do, do you do it at a specific hour?
Whenever I have time, I cannot do things at the same time every day.
3. Do you use regular cleaning supplies, holy water, or consecrated cleaning supplies?
Unless it's needed, I don't have any special cleaning supplies.