Egg wash or not?

[gritsar]

Tell hubby to read about this little experiment conducted by the staff of Mother Earth News:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx

 

[matthewschickens]

I wash mine under hot water with a scrub pad. Then they go into the fridge. I know, it's not the best idea. But my customers like that.

 

[coldinnh]

try vinegar- a natural and edible disinfectant,germicide,fungicide,antibacterial cleaner all around miracle liquid. I didn't wash mine either as I thought the bloom was important but hubby crabbing won out. I do a quick soak and mechanical wash (rubbing) for 30 secs each.

 

[annie3001]

i only wash the eggs if they are dirty. but my explanation of a "wash" is just a bit of water on a towl and thats all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I only wash the ones that are dirty and those go into the refrigerator since the bloom has been removed. The bloom is the coating the hen puts on the egg as she lays it to help keep the bacteria out of it. You may notice an egg being wet when it is just laid. That is the bloom. It dries pretty quickly.

An egg shell is porous. The developing chick needs oxygen as it is growing and that comes in through the porous shell. If you wash the egg in cold water, the cold can cause the air sac to shrink, creating a suction on the egg shell which can suck in some of the water. That can bring bacteria inside the egg along with the water. The usual recommendation is to wash the egg in water that is at least 10* F warmer than the egg. I just rinse it under the faucet in water that feels a bit warm to me and rub it with my fingers.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
X2. I rarely wash an egg, ever. Only if I get a poopy one. And I do it in warmer, running water.

If he won't back down on "sanitizing" them, the previously posted bleach solution is basically what commercials use (because it is the law) and no doubt a lot cheaper then buying something for it.

 

[rungirl]

I used to wash my eggs with a little bleach, but I stopped because they aren't dirty and even if they have a little bacteria on them, it's good to keep our immune system strong. I used to put them in a collander and spray a little Clorox Cleanup on them, then wash them under a stream of water until rinsed and let them air dry. But then I had to refrigerate them. Phooey! I'm done with that. You have to remember that bacteria really needs moisture to flourish and as long as the eggs are stored dry, there isn't much that could survive on them for long anyway.

Lisa

 

[kla37]

Mask? Why are we supposed to wear masks? I know it's a little dusty but..... I have wiped off the 2 eggs I've gotten so far with a damp paper towel, and that's it. My son ate them and he seems fine!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I don't ordinarily sanitize my eggs, but if you want to then use the procedure that Mac in Abilene outlines. A tablespoon of plain laundry bleach in a gallon of warm water will do the job.

I do wash my eggs. I first pour hot soapy water over them (they're in an egg basket) then wash each one under warm running water. After they are clean is when you'd want to pour the sanitizing solution over them if you're going to use it. Once they are clean I dry them and put them in the refrigerator. They can be stored at room temperature for quite a while, but you'll keep the quality longer in the fridge.

 

[MomMommyMamma]

Our hens are still not laying so I don't have personal experience, but I had just read in a book about homesteading to wash them in HOT water and use bleach. I think it said 1T per gallon of water. I wash really surprised - I'd always heard that using hot water opens the pores of the egg and then it can actually suck bacteria into the egg. I have been planning on just rinsing them under lukewarm water and putting them in the fridge.
I think the germ concerns and the general freak out some folks have about eggs from a home/farm rather than a factory speaks volumes about how far from an agrarian culture we've come. People don't understand how animals function or how the food gets into that shiny "clean" packaging at the store.
Learning more every day about chickens!