How to Cleanse Tarot Cards (and Do You Have To?)

Q: How often should you cleanse tarot cards?

Whenever you want a reset: after a heavy reading, after someone else has used the deck, after a long break. Many readers never do it and read perfectly well.

Written by the Toe Bean Tarot team Sep 21, 2026 · 4 min read We built a full tarot curriculum: 98 guided lesson sections, spaced repetition, and two original 78-card decks.

How to cleanse tarot cards depends on what you want the ritual to do. There's no rule that says a deck needs it, and nothing goes wrong if you skip it. Cleansing is a reset: a small, deliberate act that marks "this deck is starting fresh." That's useful when a deck is new, after a heavy reading, or when your draws have started to feel stale. Here are the six common ways, and when readers use them.

The Star from the Toe Bean Waite deck, a black cat pouring water under a large gold star, the card most readers picture when they learn how to cleanse tarot cards. — The Star, The Moon, Temperance: renewal, moonlight, and balance, the cleansing cards.

The Moon from the Toe Bean Waite deck, a full moon over a winding path between two towers. — The Star, The Moon, Temperance: renewal, moonlight, and balance, the cleansing cards.

Six ways to cleanse a tarot deck

Knock on it. Three knocks on the top of the deck. Takes two seconds, and for many readers it's the whole ritual.
Put it back in order. The Fool to The World, then each suit Ace to King. You'll look at every card as you go, which is the best part, and the next shuffle starts from a clean slate.
Moonlight. Leave the deck on a windowsill overnight. Full moon is traditional; any night works. Inside the glass, please, not outside in the dew.
Salt. Set the deck next to a sealed jar or bag of salt for a night. Never loose salt on the cards: it scratches and draws in moisture.
Smoke or sound. Pass the deck through incense smoke, or ring a bell or bowl over it. Keep the smoke light so the cards don't take on the smell.
Sit with it. Hold the deck, breathe, and say what you want from the next readings. No props, and it works as well as anything on this list.

When readers cleanse a deck

A new deck, before the first reading.
After reading for someone else, or after someone else has handled the cards.
After a reading that rattled you.
After a long break, as a way of picking the deck back up.
When the readings "feel off." That's usually you, not the cards, and what to do when a reading makes no sense has the better fix.

What cleansing won't do

It won't change what the cards say, and it won't rescue a vague question. If your readings keep landing sideways, you'll get more from asking better questions and from reading for yourself honestly than from any amount of moonlight.

A few things that damage cards and are sometimes suggested anyway: washing them, burying them, leaving them in direct sun for hours, or putting anything wet near them. Cardstock is paper. How to store tarot cards covers keeping a deck in good shape.

The Star from the Salty Bean tarot deck, a grumpy gray cat under a gold star in etched ink. — Salty Bean's Star. Even he admits a fresh start is fine, once.

Every reading in the Toe Bean Tarot app starts from a fresh shuffle, so if what you want is the reset without the ritual, that's the thing it does for you (Android only). With a paper deck, cleansing is one small part of owning it; the rest is in the tarot deck guide, and a new deck deserves the deck interview spread right after its first cleanse.

Quick answers

Do you have to cleanse a new tarot deck?

No. Nothing about a new deck needs fixing. Cleansing is an optional way to mark a fresh start, and going through all 78 cards in order does the same job.

How often should you cleanse tarot cards?

Whenever you want a reset. Many readers never do it and read perfectly well.

Can you cleanse tarot cards with salt?

Yes, with the salt in a sealed bag or jar next to the deck, never loose on the cards.

Does cleansing change what the cards say?

No. It changes how you approach the next reading, which is the useful part.