Lots of people don't wash eggs unless they're soiled. When eggs are laid, they get a very thin layer on them called 'bloom' which protects the eggs which are porous. By washing the eggs you remove that natural protection. here is a source about cleaning eggs, notice it talks about cleaning the soiled ones, not the ones laid in clean nest material that don't get dirt (either mud or fecal matter) on them. http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=798 Note the part about using very warm water too. Very important or the pores will absorb the bacteria etc instead of expanding it outward. As it says in that article, by keeping the nest boxes clean and keeping them seperate when you gather them, you will be able to only wash the soiled ones. There's several threads about this topic already, search on bloom or egg washing and you can read lots of opinions about it.
I usually just use hot water, unless the mess is really bad, then I'll use "Egg Wash". I just bought some food grade mineral oil to use after washing them to replace the bloom. Both products I got from eggcartons.com.
I don't wash my eggs either unless they are dirty. I rinse them under water just before I use them. I store my eggs on a counter I call my egg counter. Once you wash/clean them you must refrigerate them. I leave my eggs out on the counter unrefrigerated for a couple of weeks or more if they last that long. My demand is more than I can supply. I buy egg wash for the eggs I sell to my local markets.
Bleach can be used as a sanitizing dip with a ratio of 1 tablespoon bleach to a gallon of hot water, followed by a rinse.
Seems I only have to clean one egg, every day, from the same stupid hen. For some reason it has never layed in the nest, always on the floor. That hen is also what I would call "the runt of the litter", as it is slightly smaller than the other birds. It is always the last to come when treats are being handed out, so often misses the choicest bits. Usually it's the last to head into the coop at night, as if it just doesn't "get it". I actually think it has mental problems... I use the fruit and vegetable wash, which come in a pump type spray, give it a wipe, and a quick rinse.
