Egg cleaning question..........

[gabby3535]

Dumb question from a newbie................
do you 'have' to clean your eggs?
if so, do you 'have' to use an 'egg-wash' product?
if not, what do 'you' use instead?

Thanks!

 

[Wynette]

I do not wash mine. WHen eggs are laid, they have a very thin film called "bloom" on them. The bloom protects the eggs' pores from drawing in any bacteria on the shell. It also give them a longer shelf life. For my sales eggs, I only wash them if they are very dirty (which doesn't happen that often). When I do, I make sure to use water that is warmer than the egg itself is...this way, it reduces the chance of bacteria getting drawn in.

 

[texaschick-a-dee]

you don't "have" to. A lot of people don't. I clean mine with warm water and a sponge and let them air dry before I refrigerate them.

 

[sundance]

i wash mine with dawn and warm water rinse and let dry before putting in fridge

marrie

 

[Andora]

I have always washed mine with warm water if they have poop on them, otherwise I don't worry about it as long as I am going to cook them before eating...

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Mother Earth News did an extensive study on egg storage. The best results were obtained by storing unwashed fertilized eggs in a refrigerator at 35-40 degrees. Store bought eggs are washed, I don't really know with what, but you aren't going to sell eggs with poop on them....

I do not usually wash them. If I get a poopy one, I am careful to wash it in water that is warmer than the egg. This is supposed to cause any bacteria to move outward from the egg rather than into it, as described above.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. I have a counter that I keep my eggs on. I never wash them. You can use an egg wash or dip them in 1 tbsp bleach to a gal of warm water then rinse if you want to sanitize them, but you must refrigerate them.

 

[HennyRoo]

How long is too long to leave an egg out before refrigerating? We only collect eggs once a day, usually in the evening when we do our farm rounds. Is there a way to tell if the egg has been sitting too long to keep? I have had chickens for 2 years and have not had a problem yet, but am starting to sell the extras and don't want to risk others getting sick!

 

[texaschick-a-dee]

If we find a suprise nest outside of the coop we put the eggs in a bucket of water, if they stay at the bottom we keep them if they float we chunck "em. As an egg gets older the air sack gets bigger causing them to float.

 

[Brickman House]

Our eggs are pretty clean, but even if not, we don't wash them before we store them.

If there's anything on them, we'll wash it off right before we use them.

As far as leaving them out, if you're collecting them every day, you shouldn't have any issues with them getting old or bad. We collect once a day in the evening as well, and just bring them in and put them in the fridge.