TigerLilly, please don't claim that the majority of us here on BYCF do not wash eggs. Ain't true. Probably as many do as don't. Frankly, I think a poll on this topic would be a good idea if it hasn't already been done.
If you want to sell eggs to the general public who expect clean, cold eggs... you wash them. If you give them away or sell to the small minority of knowledgeable folks who understand grime on unwashed eggs isn't gonna kill them... you don't wash your eggs.
Lilywater101; there's several ways to wash your eggs. Some claim to use water as hot as you can stand it, running from the tap and air dry.
Some say to use cool water because the cool water doesn't expand the eggshell pores to allow bacteria in.
Some use a commercially available egg wash (lots of advertisers here on BYCF carry it). They sell small quantities. If these are a mild detergent you could substitute an unscented "green" dishwashing liquid. Detergents kill bacteria.
The "bloom"'s purpose is to keep the eggshell sealed against bacteria and germs which would kill a developing chick. The hen lays a clutch of eggs over a course of a week or so. They just sit in the nest until she decides there's enough to sit on and brood... the eggs could be sitting around outside in any kind of weather for a couple weeks before starting to be incubated... of course they'd need the bloom to protect them.
Yes, washing eggs removes the "bloom" that naturally keeps bacteria sealed away from the pores of the shell. If you wash eggs, you shouldn't leave them out on the counter. Washed eggs should be refrigerated. Unwashed eggs can sit on the counter for a couple weeks.
Oddly, friends who live overseas get their washed store-bought eggs not from a refrigerated case (as we in the USA do) but from an open shelf. One friend from Brazil gets her eggs in an open air market. The eggs are washed and cartoned, but not cold. Guess they must sell them rapidly.
