It's reassuring to read all this. I never did wash them except for the occasional soiled one which gets a wipe of a moist cloth and then into the refrigerator. My mother-in-law, who is a neat freak and my most loyal customer, washes them immediately upon delivery. I overheard her one day telling a friend who received a dozen that they are unwashed with the insinuation that I'm neglecting to do this neccessary procedure. Then I read a pamphlet about the strict standards Canadian egg producers put their eggs through which includes washing. Another close friend raided my coop because she needed an egg for a recipe and commented that she felt weird grabbing a warm freshly laid egg. I needed to research this to make sure I was not being negligent in some way. When I explain to people about the bloom, and how the eggs don't go bad while in the nest box for an afternoon, or being sat on for twenty days for that matter, it makes sense but the conditioning remains that they must be washed and refrigerated to be safe.