How to Cleanse a House of Spirits? (3 Effective Methods)

Human beings are exposed to spiritual energies that have positive and negative influences. At times, negative energies linger in people’s houses. One should cleanse these negative energies or spirits because, when left as is, can utterly affect the inhabitants’ body, mind, and soul.

To free a house from spirits or negative energies, one must do a deep spiritual cleanse. Spiritual cleansing removes unwanted negative vibrations through rituals like sage cleansing, Wiccan cleansing spells, and feng shui space clearing.

Dense, stagnant energy at home might be a product of physical, mental, or spiritual dissonance. This dissonance can affect people on multiple levels. There are several methods one can follow to banish such spirits.

Essential Steps Before Cleansing the House

1. Open doors and windows.

Energy doesn’t disappear. It changes form, flows from one space to another, and can be displaced. However, it cannot cease to exist. When cleansing the house, one should give negative energies somewhere to go. Opened doors and windows allow unwanted energies to flow out of the house naturally.

2. Make the necessary preparations.

If cleansing through the burning of spiritual herbs, one should choose the herb and prepare the right container for it (e.g., abalone shell).

3. Wear black.

Practicality aside, the color black is worn by spiritual experts or shamans when doing their rituals mainly because it allows them to be invisible to spirits and entities. It prevents dense energy from getting attached to them. The color black also exudes a feeling of protection and control.

4. Say a mantra.

Ask the unwanted spirit or the negative energy to leave the space. Mantras allow one to feel more grounded and more in control.

3 Effective Methods for Cleansing the House

1. Sage Cleansing

Cultures around the world have been burning sacred plants for spiritual and healing purposes while performing rituals for millennia. North American indigenous groups perform ‘smudging’ in their Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing ceremony.

Smudging is a custom unique to their culture. Thus, to respect these rituals and put them into context, it’s important to note that the term sage smudging shouldn’t be used interchangeably with sage cleansing.

Sage is a sacred plant that has an earthy smell and feminine energy. Sage comes from the Latin words salvere and salus meaning “to heal” and “salvation,” respectively.

Burning sage is one of the oldest methods of cleansing. The resulting smoke of the burned sage wafts throughout the space and cleanses the energy field.

The process of burning sage is symbolical. The rise of the smoke is a manifestation of one’s wishes and intentions. The positive psychic energy from within flows to the spaces in the house and purifies the air.

White sage is used more commonly for cleansing purposes. It’s often associated with spiritual awareness, wisdom, and clarity.

The benefits of burning sage go beyond the spiritual. It also improves one’s physical condition because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It can also improve memory, treat stomach aches and sore throats, and provide comfort from lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression.

Steps in Sage Cleansing

1. Do the essential steps before cleansing the house stated above.
2. Prepare the sage, a fire-resistant container like an abalone shell or any clay bowl, a bowl of sand, and a lighter.
3. Prepare a space (like an altar or a shrine) where you can keep the sacred herb.
4. Once all the materials are ready, think of a phrase or recite a mantra during the cleansing to set intentions.
5. Light the sage and let it burn for about 15 seconds.
6. Walk through the house and direct to smoke to doorways, spaces where people spend more time in, and areas with a high concentration of water and metal like the kitchen or bathroom.
7. Once done with the walkthrough, smother the flame in the container or the sand bowl. Do not use water.
8. Close the ceremony by chanting a final mantra or a prayer.
9. Visualize the house filled with bright light.
10. Place the sage back in the shrine or altar.

There are also other methods to cleansing a house without a sage.

2. Wiccan Cleansing Spell

Aside from sage, there are other sacred materials one can use to cleanse the house. Palo santo (loosely translated as “holy stick” in Spanish) is a sacred wood whose scent reminds one of a temple with hints of pine and lemon. Burning palo santo balances energy and promotes harmony.

Steps in Wiccan Cleansing

1. Do the essential steps before cleansing the house stated above.
2. Prepare the palo santo stick or any loose cleansing herbs (rosemary or evergreen needles), a fire-resistant container like an abalone shell or any clay bowl, a bowl of sand, a white candle, and matches or a lighter.
3. Prepare a space (like an altar or a shrine) where one can keep the sacred herb.
4. Once all the materials are ready, light the sage and place it in the bowl.
5. Light the white candle and chant, sing, or whisper this prayer: “Goddess of the Earth and the Celestial Dome, Pure is my heart, Clear is my home.”
6. Walk through the house and let the smoke fill the spaces.
7. Let the candle go out on its own.

3. Feng Shui Space Clearing

Feng Shui (meaning “wind” and “water”) is a philosophy, an ancient practice of looking at the environment and finding balance.

Steps in Feng Shui Space Clearing

1. Do the essential steps before cleansing the house stated above.
2. Get rid of inanimate objects that carry negative vibrations.
3. Play music that soothes the soul or brings joy.
4. Prepare a sage or palo santo stick, sandalwood incense, and salt.
5. Set an intention.
6. Light the sandalwood.
7. Chant the intention as the smoke swirls around the house. Start on the doorway and move clockwise. Do this to every space or room.
8. Once done with the walkthrough, state the intention once again.
9. Throw a pinch of salt in every corner (clockwise motion).
10. Replace the salt occasionally. Repeat the entire ritual when necessary.

Why House Cleansing is Important

Misguided energies and other forces in one’s dwelling can affect them physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible. Different things cause pent-up negative energy in people’s homes.

The ‘spirits’ or negative energies might have already been present in the house even before the current occupants moved there. If settling into a new property, one should consider doing a house cleansing before moving in.

Other times, the problem lies in the land where the house is built, which causes energy field disturbances. Other precursors are family arguments, domestic violence, addiction, and sometimes even trauma from centuries ago.

The impact of these spirits is remarkably consequential not only to the people living in the house but also to other living things like animals and plants. Sometimes, negative energies also attach themselves to inanimate objects.

The next question will be which spaces to clear. Both positive and negative energies tend to accumulate in areas where people spend most of their time. It’s best to consider such spaces when cleansing the house. Other things to consider are doorways since there is a tendency for energy to get stuck there.

Water and metal act as conductors in the spirit world. Therefore, spaces with a high concentration of water or metal like the kitchen and the bathroom should also be considered.

It might also be beneficial to look at spaces that the sunlight does not reach and are rarely visited by the people in the house. One can perform the cleansing themselves or seek help from spiritual experts.

3 Tips to Prevent Negative Energy from Entering the House

1. Wear crystals or keep them in various places in the house. Some crystals that offer protection from all types of negative energy include clear quartz, black obsidian, citrine, bloodstone, and black tourmaline.
2. Find ways to fend off unwanted negative energy before entering the doorway. Saging oneself works.
3. Think positively. Thoughts are extremely powerful, and one’s energy from within can turn anything into reality. Taking care of oneself in mind, body, and spirit is protection in itself.

Final Thoughts

Cleansing clears the negative energy in the house or any physical space and allows one to start anew.

There is no strict rule to house cleansing, and anyone can alter any of the steps to suit their preferences as long as it’s done with respect. There are several methods and techniques available (see: House Cleansing: How to House Cleanse and Get Rid of Negative Spirits for Good by Sharon Delvin).

It helps to cleanse the house once a month, especially when there are a lot of interactions occurring in the space. You can also do a house cleansing even without the use of sage. Here’s  a list of other methods that you can use.