I got into a heated debate on this subject on with another group I'm on. I got my info from all the brilliant people on here and its worked well for me but there are some hard-core believers in one way or the other. I wash mine and like I was told by some on here, I coat it with mineral oil like they do in the stores...well, there were alot of people saying I shouldn't use antibacterial soap, I shouldn't wash them, and I shouldn't use mineral oil. I know that the egg has a coating, and I know alot of people don't wash them because of that, but having a food background and knowing about illnesses and food borne diseases and germs that can spread, I opt to wash mine and coat it to keep that egg fresh. Because of all the people that got upset with me (on that other board) for using the soap and oil, I switched to a natural dish washing liquid from Colorox and I bought some olive oil so that its natural. But for me, when I crack my egg, I know its clean and ready to use and if anything bumps into it or someone grabs it and forgets to wash their hands etc., I don't have to worry about anything because its ready to use.
