Cleaning not cleansing my tarot

My workhorse Roots of Asia was beginning to look decidedly in need of a good clean to freshen it up. It has been a very busy and eventful few weeks for me, so l took time out and had a peaceful time sprucing up my deck. In fact it was quite therapeutic. l armed myself with a soft barely damp sponge to gently wipe down the cards front back and sides, then carefully dried them with a soft cloth, what a difference it made. l had not realised how grubby the sides had become, now they are white again and the cards themselves look much brighter. Finally l washed the specially made silk tarot bag. l use this deck all the time, now l feel l have put new, fresh energies back into it.

How about you, do you successfully give your deck a spruce up, or do you do what my hubby does, he go gets another deck
Mine is OOP so l have to look after it, glad l have two.

First, that's so cool to have a hubby that also is into Tarot!

I love to get used decks at my local bookstore or eBay and sometimes they need more than cleansing.

I spray a white washcloth til it's a tiny bit damp and wipe them down one element at a time. I don't have room to do all. I don't dry them, but leave them out to dry for quite awhile (not stacked).

I recently received an old 70's deck and it came from a home where everyone must have been smoking Camel Straights with all the windows closed since 72 when it was made. They're in great condition otherwise. I wonder if anyone has a tip on how to remove cigarette smell?

I received a Servants of the Light Tarot deck that arrived totally grimy, but the photos in the ad did not show that. It took some elbow grease but I got everything cleaned off.

The one thing I do notice is that none of my decks have ever quite had the same feel again after I've gotten them damp. There's like a stiffness and coldness that wasn't there before. I'm probably not describing it right but anyway...

ram said:

First, that's so cool to have a hubby that also is into Tarot!

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Yes l got him interested long ago, he uses the Native American Animal cards[/QUOTE]


The one thing I do notice is that none of my decks have ever quite had the same feel again after I've gotten them damp. There's like a stiffness and coldness that wasn't there before. I'm probably not describing it right but anyway...[/QUOTE]

That made me rush to my deck to see how they had coped with their bath, but thankfully they are fine. Did you use only a little of clear water on a soft sponge with no additives, did you also use a gentle wiping action. If you did then l cannot understand why your cards are like they are.

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Before joining this forum I had only one deck RSW and was using it for nearly 20 years, then started buying new, shiny decks with those edges so white and I suddenly realized how dirty and dingy was my old one. I decided to clean it. First I used baking soda (worked well) for edges and then damp cloth for the front and back surface. Yes the deck after cleaning became brighter, shinier....but... I agree with ram... it didn't feel as mine any more, was cold and unfamiliar. I am not using this deck any more it is retired, I trimmed the edges and glued it in my journal.

*Isobel* said:

Before joining this forum I had only one deck RSW and was using it for nearly 20 years, then started buying new, shiny decks with those edges so white and I suddenly realized how dirty and dingy was my old one. I decided to clean it. First I used baking soda (worked well) for edges and then damp cloth for the front and back surface. Yes the deck after cleaning became brighter, shinier....but... I agree with ram... it didn't feel as mine any more, was cold and unfamiliar. I am not using this deck any more it is retired, I trimmed the edges and glued it in my journal.

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Perhaps l got rams meaning wrong, l assumed the stiffness and coldness was actually the way the cards felt physically in the hand.

Am sorry that you had to retire your deck Isobel l do not understand how they can lose that familiarity you had with them.

Mine are fine and working with me as usual thank goodness.

My Universal Waite has somehow gotten what feels like baby powder on the front and back of every card. :/ i'm not sure what to do...I don't want to wipe it down with anything wet, for fear of soaking the card...Maybe I need to just take a towel and wipe down each card? Or try a very SLIGHTLY damp cloth and then wipe it down immediately with a dry one?

I'm a bit worried about losing that emotional/spiritual connection with it, though. Perhaps I'll clean it and then do some bonding exercises with it.

Try a dry microfibre cloth ?

Why is there such worry about losing the connection with the cards? Cleaning mine has had no effect on the emotional or spiritual warmth l get from my cards. If anything it caused me to look closer at the images as l cleaned each one, and l discovered something l had missed in the Moon card
By handling each card surely it makes for a stronger bond, you are not washing away anything other than dirt and grime.
l cleaned my 1jj Swiss cards over the years many times, and they still spoke to me loud and clear.

I cleaned my Universal Waite with a very slightly damp cloth. I haven't been able to read much with it, but I don't think it's because of the cleaning - I've had a ton of anxiety and unrelated stress in my life lately, and I suspect my inability to read my cards is less the cards or my connection to them and more just that my brain is fried.

But the cards feel nice and smooth and new, and I'm very pleased.

6-8 cards at a time can be placed in a plasic refrigerator bag with 2 Tbsp of flour or cornstarch - shake until all the cards are covered, wait 10 minutes and then wipe each card with a dry cloth. The grime comes off without harming the cards' finish. No water necessary.