tarot cleaning

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 17 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

sprite	17 May 2004
hi there well lets see this is my first experience with thinking i need to clean a deck so im kinda clueless. i picked them up the other day after a couple of weeks and they felt heavy and different. they are in the same bag noone messes with them, the only thing different is they are not in there usuall storing place. so open to your suggestions about how to clean them. also just out of use they feel kinda sticky, you know like when you play with the same deck to much. can i just put some powder on them to try and loosen them up again. thanks for your input

hedgecub	17 May 2004
Baby powder is supposed to be good for helping decks become unsticky, and either shuffling the deck meditatively or burning some incense and wafting the smoke over the deck will work for cleansing the deck.

Jewel	17 May 2004
Baby poweder will work just fine. I have heard people mention exposing their decks to the light of the full moon for cleansing, either taking them out for a while, or leaving them on their windowseal (inside, protected) throughout the night of a full moon with the full moon shining on them. Personally I put mine in order when I am finished using it to "cleanse" it, but nothing else.

Free	17 May 2004
i use incense to clean my decks, just burn it and pass the cards through the smoke one at a time. Use whatever incense you feel like, i'm using yerba santa leaf at the moment, its a native american smudging herb used for protection, healing and banishing any negative energies, so it's good for cleansing decks! You could also try white sage as it is good for cleansing objects. Free x

Little Hare	21 May 2004
incense, Citrine or smoky quartz crystals as they absorb all negative energys and the good thing about the crystals is you don't have to worry about cleaning them

magpie9	22 May 2004
I like cleaning my decks with salt and sunlight better than smudgeing, it seems to work better for me. I put the deck in a baggie (as in sandwitch) with some salt and put it on a windowsill where the sun will shine on it. I leave it there of a day or 3, and kind of shake it us to help the salt distribute in the deck. then I shuffle all the salt out, maybe wipe the cards down with a dry cloth. They positivly sparkle with nice fresh energy!! I have found this especially useful with second-hand decks. :)

hedgecub	22 May 2004
Mightn't strong sunlight cause the ink on the deck to fade?

sprite	22 May 2004
thanks guys i did the powder thing and it was great. i just laid my cards out and sprinkled powder over them and shuffled them all around, then took each of the cards and individually covered them with powder and then wiped them off with a dry rag. its like there a whole new deck very light. extremely pleased

janomalee	22 May 2004
Mightn't strong sunlight cause the ink on the deck to fade? Probably not if left out for a day or so. If left out for a long time, absolutely. I went into a shop where all the Tarot decks were stored in a glass case too close to the window. The boxes had faded in a big way. These decks had probably been there for quite a while, maybe months or years.

magpie9	23 May 2004
RE: Fading Deck: Very good question! I've lived in the high desert southwest for most of the last 30++ years, and never had the sun fade something in just a few days. I can't imagine it could anyplace except maybe ....? Death Valley?.......the Kalahari? the Great Australian desert?......anyway, it's never happened to me. I'm going to try the powder thing next time I need to clean a deck. I remember Umbrae posting about using magicians "fanning powder" when a deck gets hard to shuffle...do you suppose it's pretty much the same thing as baby powder?

sprite	23 May 2004
im not sure if the powders are the same thing but i just used baby powder and they feel new again cuz they were real sticky like from being used oils if there was something on the table, etc. so my vote is for the baby powder

magpie9	23 May 2004
Thanks sprite, I'll try it. :)

Umbrae	27 May 2004
Don’t use baby powder! It’s lovely on the baby’s behind, but not on your deck. It may clump and actually become sticky with sweat. Use Zinc Stearate. The easy way to find it, is to open your phone book and find your nearest ‘Magicians Supplies’ store. Go there or call them and buy what they call “Fanning Powder” It’s pure zinc stearate – and is designed for use on CARDS (okay, so it’s for use on playing cards and making lovely fans…card manipulation they call it). If you cannot do that, use the web. I use www.tannensmagic.com , they are in NY NY, and have been around since Houdini…Fanning Powder…buy it, trust it. (then for spiritual clean - shuffle shuffle shuffle)

Flavio	28 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by magpie9 I put the deck in a baggie (as in sandwitch) with some salt and put it on a windowsill where the sun will shine on it. I leave it there of a day or 3, and kind of shake it us to help the salt distribute in the deck. then I shuffle all the salt out, maybe wipe the cards down with a dry cloth. They positivly sparkle with nice fresh energy!! I have found this especially useful with second-hand decks. :) I would like to try this but I am worry the salt works as sandpaper and the cards get some damage, do that happens? Thank you.

full deck	28 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae Use Zinc Stearate. The easy way to find it, is to open your phone book and find your nearest ‘Magicians Supplies’ store. Especially considering that some babypowders use organic compounds that can potentially do harm to a deck. I was also going to suggest using a car battery to get rid of all those negative energies too. If there is not any sunlight, one could use a flashlight in the dark (close enough). :rolleyes:

ferrous	18 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by full deck I was also going to suggest using a car battery to get rid of all those negative energies too. A car battery? How does that worK? .. or are you joking? *ferrous gets ready to blush*

The tarot cleaning thread was originally posted on 17 May 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.