To wash or not to wash..that is the question

[Suki]

Countryside says NO.

http://bit.ly/1TO2PCZ


The PA Dept of Ag says YES with temperatures over 100F.  So what do you do?  I wash with Manna Pro's egg cleanser.  I mention this as my friend Sophie just imported an egg washer for her business.

[Mike Gilbert]

I wash all my eggs for eating.  As long as the water temp is quite a bit higher than the internal egg temp, you are fine, as warming air inside the egg will push any germs outward and not suck them in through the pores in the shell.   I use any old dish detergent, and leave the soap residue on the egg instead of rinsing them off afterward.   I figure when that dries it helps provide a protective seal on the shell.   Not 100% of course, but good enough.  Never got sick from eating an egg here yet, and it has been many years of using the same practice. 

[Beth Curran]

I use warm water but no soap. I don't see the cold weather you guys do but I've still cracked very cold eggs using water that was too warm, so I lean more toward

As long as the water temp is quite a bit higher than the internal egg temp, you are fine

  than a specific temperature.

I have also found a Mr. Clean magic eraser takes stains off nicely. I was concerned about removing the bloom, but the eggs seem to keep just fine.

[Suki]

Well this is all news to this city slicker...I'm glad I brought it up.  Now I don't have to buy Manna Pro, one container lasts about 2 years btw, and will wash with the recommended warm water.  As for the Clorox bleach pen, I love that idea.  Typically, I rub the dirtier eggs with my washing (True Blue ) gloves.  They have ridges on the tips so the dishes do not slip out of your hands, but I figure that is bad because it could remove excess shell. I am not sure about that, I'm just speculating.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/kitchen-gloves-blue/


I got mine for about $4.99 at T. J. Maxx.  They also have the green there which I use for gardening/farm work.

[John W Blehm]

Years ago an MSU poultry professor gave a seminar and recommended washing eggs in the hottest water you can stand with a little "Dawn" detergent (as I recall).  That is what we've done.   After rinsing them I let them air dry on a towel before refrigerating.

It was always frowned upon to wash hatching eggs, but some do it.  I'll wash badly soiled ones and I drench them all with diluted Tek-Trol disinfectant. 

[Tailfeathers]

I wash both my eating & hatching eggs.  I used Dawn, hot water, and a little scrubber.

Just FYI, the first year I started hatching eggs I did my own little experiment where I compared washed eggs with unwashed.  Maybe did like 100 each.  The washed eggs actually did a tad bit better but the difference was so negligible as to likely be irrelevant.

[Linda Ferguson]

I don't wash any of my eggs.  When I first began with chickens I did wash them, but after researching and talking to people I stopped washing.  I trust mother natures 'bloom'.  Eggs can be left out at room temperature without refrigeration for awhile when unwashed.  I've found that washed eggs pick up a taste I don't like when kept in the refrigerator, compared to the taste of unwashed eggs in the refrigerator. Odors must go through the egg shell easier after being washed or at least that's my experience with it.  The bloom is adequate protection for me and I've never had a problem.  Even if the eggs are a little dirty, I use them myself and barter with the pretty, cleaner ones.  If they're really dirty I scramble them for the chickens as a treat and put the shells in the compost.  Linda

[Dennis Heltzel]

How dilute do you make the Tek-Trol? Just follow the label?
I thought that might wash off the bloom also, so I've always been hesitant to use it, though I figure all the big hatcheries disinfect their eggs.

Years ago an MSU poultry professor gave a seminar and recommended washing eggs in the hottest water you can stand with a little "Dawn" detergent (as I recall).  That is what we've done.   After rinsing them I let them air dry on a towel before refrigerating.

It was always frowned upon to wash hatching eggs, but some do it.  I'll wash badly soiled ones and I drench them all with diluted Tek-Trol disinfectant.

[John W Blehm]

How dilute do you make the Tek-Trol? Just follow the label?
I thought that might wash off the bloom also, so I've always been hesitant to use it, though I figure all the big hatcheries disinfect their eggs.

Yes. 
Right also, and I don't see drenching the hatching eggs the same as washing with a cloth, scrub pad or brush.

[Suki]

You shouldn’t keep eggs that are very dirty or have cracks or holes. If there is dirt present, consider dry cleaning with a cloth, not sandpaper. Sandpaper will wipe off the cuticle and potentially increase pore size. As mentioned before, the cuticle plays an important role in keeping bacteria levels low and increasing pore size allows for more bacteria to get in.If dry cleaning doesn’t work, consider throwing them out. Washing eggs at home isn’t recommended, as it can destroy the cuticle and drive more bacteria into the egg through the pores if done incorrectly


http://www.hobbyfarms.com/dont-get-sick-from-your-homegrown-eggs/

[Tailfeathers]

Well, I just hit "Post", something happened, and the whole thing disappeared.  So gonna make this one short and quick.  I really hate when that happens because I can never remember what I wrote either.  So anyways, here goes...

The bloom, or cuticle, is way too over emphasized.  It is VERY thin and once dry it can easily be rubbed off.  This can be done just by the hen moving the egg around in the nest.  When one has 1-6 eggs being laid in the same nest, it's not hard to imagine how much the eggs are being shuffled around.

The bloom, given this age of refrigeration, has nothing to do with freshness.  It's basically there to help prevent bacteria from entering the egg but there are two other membranes (MUCH thicker too) on the inside of the shell that mostly do that.  So it seems to me that if bacteria is the primary concern, washing the eggs only makes more sense.

I did a quick Google search to see if there had been any "scientific" research done on the subject but didn't find anything.  Most of the sites that come up on the search recommend not washing the eggs and, as I said, overemphasize the bloom.  They're also all sites like "homesteading", "backyard chickens", "mypetchickens", etc.  Here's one that showed up from a lady who runs an egg selling business and operates according to State Law:  http://www.newsociety.com/blog/2013/Should-farm-fresh-eggs-be-washed

[Mike Gilbert]

Thanks for that link Royce.    It is refreshing to know that some folks actually use common sense instead of just repeating what they happen to read or hear.   I've been washing my eggs for many years, even the ones that need it before they go into the incubator.   Since I get plenty of eggs anyway, and there is always room for more in the incubator, I figure what do I have to lose.
If an egg goes bad and does not hatch, so be it.   After a week they are candled and the clears are boiled, mashed up fine shell and all, and get fed back to the flock.  They love it, and it is a good source of calcium and protein.   All our eating eggs are washed too, in hot water with a little dish detergent.    I have yet to see one go bad in the refrigerator, but then we do make sure they are rotated so the older ones get used first. 

[Max Strawn]

Sometimes when it rains I get a lot of muddy eggs. I have experimented by washing the dirty eggs and marking them. I've seen relatively no difference in the hatch rate of washed eggs vs. unwashed eggs. I would rather wash them and they not hatch then risk contaminating the whole batch by setting dirty eggs. Like Mike said, what do you have to lose?

[Beth Curran]

Great article! Of particular interest was one of the comments contrasting USDA regulations with European, with no major food borne illnesses from eggs on either side of the pond. My take away is eggs are a lot more resilient than people give them credit for. I've always wondered if we over think these things. A hen lays at most one egg per day, so it takes her about a week to get a clutch. If eggs spoiled as easily as some suggest, seems they wouldn't hatch very many.

Sometimes when it rains I get a lot of muddy eggs. I have experimented by washing the dirty eggs and marking them. I've seen relatively no difference in the hatch rate of washed eggs vs. unwashed eggs. I would rather wash them and they not hatch then risk contaminating the whole batch by setting dirty eggs. Like Mike said, what do you have to lose?

Same here. While broodies hatch eggs in an environment that is anything but sterile, I cannot bring myself to put a dirty egg in my incubator. And since my hatching season coincides with the rainy season, pristine eggs are rare. I have seen no difference in hatch rates between washed and unwashed.

The one thing I do question is how easily the bloom is removed.  When I wash mine they often feel tacky and dry shiny, leading me to believe that the bloom may be thicker than we might think and that only the upper layer is disturbed, but that is just my observation with no scientific backing. Has anyone else noticed this?

[Tailfeathers]

Thanks, Mike.  And it's interesting to note I do the same thing with the blanks I take outta the incubator only I add some powdered Rooster Booster and LOTS of cayenne pepper.  One other thing I do that you might find helpful and that is to nuke the eggshells for 3min on high and then let them cool.  I stack the shells together as I crack 'em open and nuking them dries the insides.  Then I cover them with a paper towel and crush them to almost a powder and then sprinkle that over the egg "souffle" and nuke it for 30min on Level 3.

Max, you and I also are on the same page and that thinking is exactly same as mine.  I'd rather have an egg or two get a bloodring than contaminate the whole incubator with unwashed eggs.  And, as you probably saw above, my experiment turned up the same results as yours.