Ho'oponopono Cleaning Tools: Blue Solar Water, the Eraser and More
Ho'oponopono cleaning tools are extra practices used in Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono (SITH), such as blue solar water, the eraser, and phrases like ice blue. They are symbolic and devotional. There is no evidence they have physical effects, and the core practice needs none of them.
If you have spent any time reading about Ho'oponopono, you have probably bumped into these. Some sites present them as essential; skeptics hold them up as proof the whole thing is nonsense. This page takes a calmer view: what each tool is, where it comes from, how practitioners use it, and what you can honestly say about it.
The short answer
- What they are: additional cleaning methods taught within SITH, alongside or in place of the four phrases.
- The best known: blue solar water, the eraser, the words ice blue and dewdrop, and eating certain foods such as strawberries or blueberries as a cleaning act.
- What they do: within SITH, they are described as ways to ask for memories to be cleaned. Outside that belief system, they are best understood as rituals or reminders.
- The evidence: none for any physical or medical effect. Sunlight does not give water special properties that have been shown to heal anything.
- Do you need them? No. The four phrases are the core of the practice, and they are free.
Where the tools come from
Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono is the modern, individual form of Ho'oponopono that Morrnah Simeona developed and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len taught for many years. In that teaching, problems are understood as memories replaying, and the practitioner's job is to ask for those memories to be cleaned. The four phrases are the most famous way to do that, but SITH classes and practitioner writing describe a wider set of cleaning tools.
These tools circulate through SITH classes, practitioner blogs and books on the practice, and the lists differ from source to source. We have not tried to give a definitive catalogue, because no single public source provides one. What follows are the ones readers most often ask about.
If you are new to SITH itself, start with Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono (SITH) explained.
Blue solar water
What it is: ordinary tap water placed in a blue glass bottle or jar and left in sunlight for a period of time, commonly described as at least an hour.
How practitioners use it: for drinking, cooking, rinsing, adding to bath or laundry water, or misting around the home. Within SITH, it is described as a way to clean memories through the water you take in and use.
What the evidence says: none. There is no research showing that water kept in blue glass and exposed to sunlight changes in any way that affects health or emotions. Skeptic writers have made this point bluntly, for example in Skeptophilia's critique of blue solar water. We think that critique is fair as far as physical claims go.
A practical caution: if you try it, use clean, food-safe glass, keep the container clean, and do not leave drinking water sitting out in heat for long periods. Do not use it in place of medical treatment or safe drinking water.
The eraser
What it is: a pencil with an eraser on the end, used as a symbolic tool. Practitioners tap an object, a document or a written word with the eraser, sometimes while saying dewdrop.
How practitioners use it: on a bill, a contract, a name, a calendar entry, or anything carrying worry. The idea is that you are asking for the memories attached to that thing to be erased.
What the evidence says: there is no mechanism by which tapping paper changes anything outside you. As a ritual, though, it does something simple and possibly useful: it gives you a concrete action to take when you would otherwise spiral, and it pairs a worry with a moment of letting go.
Ice blue and other cleaning words
What they are: short words or phrases used as cleaning tools in place of, or alongside, the four phrases. Ice blue is often associated with cleaning on physical pain or on plants and nature. Dewdrop is often paired with the eraser. Thank you and I love you on their own are also widely used as short forms.
How practitioners use them: silently, in the moment, the same way as the four phrases.
What the evidence says: there is nothing special about any particular word that can be measured. What these phrases share with the four phrases is function: they interrupt a reaction and turn your attention toward release rather than struggle.
Foods and other tools
Some SITH sources describe eating certain foods, such as strawberries or blueberries, as a cleaning act, along with other objects and images used as reminders. The same honest assessment applies. These are devotional choices within a belief system, not treatments with any documented effect.
What to make of all this
It is easy to land at one of two extremes: treat the tools as powerful secrets, or dismiss them and the whole practice with them. Neither is necessary.
A fair middle position looks like this:
- They are part of a living spiritual tradition. SITH is a belief system as well as a practice, and these tools make sense within its own framework, the same way rosaries, holy water or prayer flags make sense within theirs.
- They have no demonstrated physical effect. There is no evidence that blue solar water, erasers or particular words change anything in the world or in your body. Nobody should rely on them for health, money or safety.
- Ritual can still matter to the person doing it. A concrete action can help you remember to practice, mark a moment of letting go, or calm a racing mind. That is a psychological benefit of ritual, not a special property of the object.
- The core practice is free and needs no tools. Everything you need is in the four phrases.
For a balanced look at what the evidence does and doesn't support for the practice as a whole, see does Ho'oponopono work? and what the research on Ho'oponopono actually shows.
Do you need cleaning tools?
No. If the tools appeal to you, there is no harm in using them as reminders, provided you keep the hygiene caution above in mind and do not use them in place of real-world help. If they put you off, skip them entirely. Nothing about the four-phrase practice depends on them.
In practice, most people who stick with Ho'oponopono end up using a very small set of tools: the four phrases, a short form like thank you, I love you for busy moments, and a few regular times in the day to practice.
If you are wondering whether any part of the practice carries risk, our page on whether Ho'oponopono is safe covers the main cautions.
How SITH tools fit into the bigger picture
It also helps to know that the tools are specific to the SITH lineage. Traditional Hawaiian Ho'oponopono was a family conflict-resolution process, built on conversation, confession and making amends with the people involved. Blue solar water and erasers are not part of that older practice. For the difference between the two, see traditional Ho'oponopono vs Self-Identity Ho'oponopono.
Frequently asked questions
What is blue solar water in Ho'oponopono?
Water left in a blue glass container in sunlight, used in SITH as a cleaning tool for drinking, cooking or washing. There is no evidence it has special effects.
Does blue solar water work?
There is no evidence that it changes the water or has any health or emotional effect. Some practitioners value it as a ritual reminder to clean.
What does the eraser do in Ho'oponopono?
It is a symbolic tool. Practitioners tap an object or word with a pencil eraser, often saying dewdrop, as a way of asking for the memories attached to it to be cleaned.
Are the cleaning tools required?
No. The four phrases are the core of the practice. The tools are optional.
Is it disrespectful to skip the tools?
No. Many sincere practitioners use only the phrases. The tools are optional parts of one lineage, not requirements.
Start with what's free
You do not need any special water, objects or words to practice Ho'oponopono. The free Ho'oponopono Cleaning Guide walks you through the four phrases and a simple daily practice, with nothing to buy.
