Your Tarot card deck is something you cherish. It is precious. And for you, it means the world. Which is why storing and caring for your Tarot Card Deck is something that deserves special care and consideration.

Today, let’s look at the different ways of storing and caring for your Tarot Card Decks.

Whether you are a reader with one or two Tarot card decks, or whether you are a collector of Tarot decks, storing these decks and caring for your cards is something that occupies every Tarot reader’s mind.

So what is the best way to store a Tarot card deck? And how does one care for the 78 best buddies of your life? Let’s have a look.

Your Tarot card deck is made out of cardstock and often covered by a thin sheen of plastic (this can be optional for some decks). You use it all the time to do your readings. You shuffle them, you mix them up, and if you read for other people, you have those other people handling your cards as well.

Apart from other people’s energy, your cards can get dirty with wear and tear. And since you are so bonded with these cards, taking good care of them is essential.

Storing and Caring For Your Tarot Card Deck

Storing and caring for your Tarot card decks involves making sure that the inevitable wear and tear is controlled and reduced on a large scale. There are several things you can do to make this happen.

Use a Spread Cloth for your readings

Using a spread cloth as a surface for your readings is the best way to reduce wear and tear on your deck. Surfaces of tables, mats, and the like are often quite rough on the cards. Especially when you use those surfaces for giving your cards a good mix.

I know I got the pictures on my first deck all faded out – I used to sit down on a mat to do my readings and didn’t use a spread cloth back then. Within a year, the images on the cards had faded out. Perplexed, I ended up buying a new deck of cards. On a whim (a.k.a. an inspired intuitive moment), I took a cloth that had been lying around in my mum’s closet for a while, put it on top of the mat, and started using it as a spread cloth. The new deck still has the images fresh and clean – and it’s been at least four years plus!

You can choose any kind of cloth (although many people recommend silk). However, any material that you like works. I have been using a cloth made out of plain cotton – and it works like a charm. Again, many people recommend a black cloth, but you can use any color/design you really like. Just make sure the design isn’t so busy or distracting that it interferes with your reading.

Charging Your Tarot Cards

Charging your Tarot cards is a really great way to keep the energy of the cards positive and upbeat. There are many ways that you can charge your cards. Read more about these methods in a blog post I wrote.

Charging your Tarot cards makes sure that your cards aren’t heavy with the energies of the previous readings and that they give you the best results in terms of quality of readings.

Storing and Caring for Your Tarot Card Decks

Storing and caring for your Tarot card decks is a big question for most people. While the cards come packaged in a nice little cardboard box, that box often doesn’t last long.

Most of these boxes are made so that the cards just about fit into them (I guess it is a packaging thing). But that makes using these boxes a bit of a problem. The more you get your cards in and out of these boxes, the more they are bound to wear out.

So what is the best way to store your Tarot cards?

Tarot Card Bags

There are many Tarot bags available on the market today. These drawstring pouches are really amazing – and some of them have such amazing designs on them too! Again, they are made from a variety of materials, from basic cotton cloth to velvet.

You can also get these bags in a number of sizes, which works really well for some oversized decks.

My suggestion: go with what feels right for you – be it in terms of design or cloth quality and style.

With the cards, the best way to go is to follow your feelings and intuitions. As I keep saying, the cards are your mirror – and if something feels ‘right’ and ‘comfortable’ for you, then your cards are going to be very happy in their new home!

Tarot Card Boxes

Just like the bags, there are a number of boxes out there in which you can store your Tarot cards. And they are made out of a variety of materials like wood or metal. They may be plain or have a lot of interesting designs on them as well.

Again, go with your gut, your intuition – and you’ll never go wrong with your choice of box for your Tarot cards.

Plastic Boxes and Magnetic Flip Top Boxes

Nowadays, there are so many different options to store and care for your Tarot Card Decks.

You can easily purchase magnetic flip-top boxes or plastic boxes that are specially made for storing and caring for your Tarot card decks. These boxes are quite sturdy and can protect your Tarot Card Deck.

The Original Packaging

I know this sounds a bit too weird (especially when I lambasted those boxes a few paragraphs earlier), but hear me out. J There are many of us who end up collecting Tarot decks. And we don’t use these decks very often – perhaps we open the packs once or twice a year.

I know I have many decks, but when I do a reading for my clients, I end up using my trusty ‘ole Universal Waite deck. And then for the inspired moments when I use more than one deck for the reading, I end up using my Osho Zen deck, or my Druidcraft Deck, and now my New Vision Deck. But see, that’s about it. I rarely use many of my other decks – unless I have an inspired moment when I just want to read with a particular deck. Since these decks don’t get used much, keeping them in their original packaging makes a lot of sense.

So here’s my suggestion – use bags or boxes for your regularly used decks, and use the original packaging for the decks that grace your collection.

Either way, you’re aiming to keep your decks safe and in good condition.

Other Considerations While Storing and Caring for Your Tarot Card Decks

There are also several other things to consider when storing your cards.

Places for Storing and Caring for your Tarot card Decks

Where are you going to keep your cards? Again, remember these are made out of paper. So it is important to keep your cards in a place that is clean and dry. Somewhere where there isn’t the likelihood of liquid stuff (water, etc.) getting into them. If you have a sacred space like an altar, and if you are comfortable with the idea of having your cards in this space, you can also consider keeping your cards in this area.

People handling your Tarot card decks

Do you have pets? Little kids that are likely to tear stuff and throw stuff around? Well, then it is best to keep your cards somewhere pets and kids can’t get to them. Seriously. I don’t hate these cute, cuddly creatures. But they can be quite destructive – unintentionally, of course. So it’s best not to put your stuff where it’s easily accessible to them.

Things you put along with your Tarot card decks

Many people prefer to place a piece of crystal or a twig of herbs with the deck. Gemstones and herbs have great healing powers – and storing them along with your deck is a great way to maintain a high energy level of your cards.

You can choose from a variety of gemstones and herbs depending on the healing properties you wish to have around your cards. If you store your Tarot card deck in a bag, or if your box has enough space, you can certainly add a gemstone or a twig into it with your deck.

Your Turn

So what are your best ways of storing and caring for your Tarot card decks? What special care do you take while keeping your deck? Do you prefer one way over the other? What are your experiences with regards to storing your Tarot card deck?

Do let me know your thoughts and ideas, and let’s get talking in the comments below.