How to Clean a Dreamcatcher: A Guide to Cleaning and Purifying Your Bedtime Protector

While dreamcatchers help filter away nightmares during your sleep, these spiritual devices still need to be cared for to continue working effectively.

Dreamcatchers are spiritual devices that originated from the Ojibwa tribe during the mid-19th century. These devices comprise a willow loop with an intricately woven web or sinew and are often adorned with charms, beads, and other found objects.

According to legend, when the child of a Woodland chief fell ill, the little one was plagued with nightmares and had trouble sleeping. The tribe's Medicine Woman then created a device that would trap the bad dreams, only allowing the good to enter the child's mind.

A dreamcatcher | Source: Getty Images

She took a willow branch, formed a circle, filled its center with sinew in a spiderweb-like pattern, and adorned it with feathers, creating the dreamcatcher as we know it today. It was hung above the child's bed, and that night, the young one slept peacefully.

It is said that when the sun rises and hits the dreamcatcher, the rays eviscerate the bad dreams. Many who believe in the power of the dreamcatcher still use this method to purify it, but there are other ways. Read on to learn more about cleaning and purifying your dreamcatcher.

A dream catcher being touched by the sunlight | Source: Getty Images

Ways to Clean Your Dreamcatcher

There are two main ways to clean your dream catcher physically: the dry and the wet methods. Below is a guide on how to do each:

The Wet Method

1. Take a bowl and fill it with water and dishwashing liquid soap.
2. Create soap suds with your hand, or use a small sponge and wash a small area of your dreamcatcher.
3. If no dye comes off (if applicable), then it's safe to dip the entire dreamcatcher into the bowl and wash it.
4. If it doesn't fit comfortably inside the bowl, do it in sections, then rinse and hang it to air dry.

The Dry Method

1. Find a bag big enough to hold your dreamcatcher.
2. Fill it with about a cup of baking soda or salt, then place your dreamcatcher inside.
3. Shake the bag until the dreamcatcher is thoroughly coated, then leave it inside overnight.
4. The following day, take your dreamcatcher out and shake off the powder outside.
5. If you feel it is needed, wrap a sock or another cloth made of breathable material over a vacuum hose and vacuum off the remaining powder.

A dreamcatcher blown by the wind during sunset | Source: Shutterstock

How to Purify Your Dreamcatcher

While taking care of your dreamcatcher's physical state is essential, so is purifying its energy. This helps reset and strengthen your dreamcatcher so it's not clogged by unwanted energy.

There are a few methods you can use to keep your dreamcatcher recharged, including smudging, salt water bath, and ensuring you have good ventilation. See them outlined below.

A smudge stick (bundle of dried white sage and juniper) in a clay bowl with a decorative feather to spread the smoke and a dreamcatcher in the background | Source: Shutterstock

Smudging

Smudging involves the use of sage for energetic/spiritual cleansing. You will need loose-leaf sage, an abalone shell to place it in, your dreamcatcher, and a feather (though optional). Now, follow the steps below:

1. Light your sage.
2. Once the smoke begins rising, smudge your feather (if you're using one) by waving it above the smoke.
3. Next, using the feather, smudge yourself by directing the smoke towards you.
4. Then, take your dreamcatcher and wave it above the smoke for as long as you feel it needs.
5. Once you're satisfied, move around the room and allow the sage smoke to follow you and cleanse your space.
6. It is said that you may start to feel a shift in energy as you undergo this process, but if not, you will still get a restful night's sleep.

Saltwater cleansing

This purification method is similar to the first cleaning method outlined above, though it has a slightly different purpose. As its name suggests, you will need a large bowl, water, and sea salt.

1. Fill your bowl with enough water to cover your dreamcatcher and mix it with sea salt.
2. Submerge the dreamcatcher, ensuring it is fully covered by the water, and gently swish it around.
3. Once you are satisfied, hang it somewhere to air-dry, preferably under sunlight.

A dreamcatcher hanging against an ocean background | Source: Shutterstock

Sunlight

This way, your dreamcatcher's frequent exposure to the sun's rays helps it keep unwanted energies and omens at bay.

A dreamcatcher in the sun | Source: Getty Images

A dreamcatcher may protect you from nightmares, but as its owner, you are also responsible for helping it help you. Hopefully, the methods above will assist you in doing just that.

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