# Eggs wipe or wash?



## viktimh

My hens just started laying their eggs this week and I heard that you are not suppose to wash the eggs just wipe them down. Is this true?


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## Roslyn

If the eggs come from the coop nice and clean, then they don't need cleaned. I keep mine as is, and wash as I put them in the fridge. If I get eggs that are really muddy or crusty etc I wash them. Egg shells are porous and I don't want that leaching into the eggs.

Some say NEVER wash, but I'm not keeping nasty eggs around. I also wash ALL eggs that I sell.


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## UncleJoe

No washing eggs in our house.


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## BikerChick

I got so dizzy trying to find the favored answer to this question, that I finally bought egg wash wipes at Tractor Supply. If I am giving someone unwashed eggs I can just give them a wipe in a baggie, and let them do what they want. 
Out of six or so dozen eggs I have only had two eggs that needed cleaned off.
If you have not ever seen the suggestion, some use a fingernail or sand paper to remove dirt.


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## Apyl

I havent had a need to wash eggs. They lay them in the straw right in the nesting bucket nice and clean already.


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## hollyosborn

If mine are nasty gross, yes ill wash it off with water, but other than that.. nope.. from the butt to the nest, to my hand, to the carton, to market or I use to bake.. lol


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## nogrodsmithy

I'm of the opinion not to wash. I remember reading somewhere that unwashed eggs will keep longer. (not that they last more than a day or two at our place.)


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## tdepointe

I was the eggs that need to ne cleaned i.e. the ones layed on rainy days.


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## dbbd1

I believe that *if* you wash the eggs, the water temp should be no cooler than 20* from the inside temp of the egg. If it is too cool, it will call the pores on the shell to close, drawing the impurities from the outside of the shell inside.

We wash ours after they have been in the fridge a day or too (if they need it at all).


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## karenbrat1

I wash mine, I figure they are always going to have some bacteria on them from the hens stepping in their own poop and in dirt/mud and then stepping on the eggs. I wash under hot, slowly running tap water while scrubbing with a dish brush and dish soap. The cleanest ones just get a quick once-over, the obviously dirtied ones are scrubbed til clean looking.


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## cogburn

Nope.. No wash, dry brush if any solid dirt/mud/poop. Leave the bloom on the egg..


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## coopdeville

I don't wash mine because I was told that there is a membrane on the egg itself that helps keep them fresher for longer periods of time. I just brush them off and make sure there is no dirt but other than that, into the crate they go!


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## BigheadRanch

i only wash the dirty ones when they need it; but i got some dirty birds...  does anyone "bath" their girls when they get dirty? maybe theres another thread for that question


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## craziegrannie

I put them in the refrigerator unwashed for a week while they built up a large enough supply. Then I put eggs into cartons after I wash them, but that was when I had a flock of 75. I am now down to 4 hens so I wash and put in a carton as I get them. They all go into a refrigerator to be stored at 40 degree F.


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## edenjohnny

my eggs I wipe or rinse , most are eaten within 4/5 days anyway cos I give them away


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## egglady

I give soiled eggs a quick once-over with So Clean! washing soda - dry on a clean cloth and directly into the cartons. The last thing I want to do is drop a dirty eggshell into the frying pan


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## 7chicks

I wash mine with plain ole dishsoap then fridgerate right away.


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## Chixmama

Never have washed, never will. I have nest boxes that have wood chips in them and they always come out clean. I also provide a separate roosting place to discourage them from pooping in the nest. I have had chickens off and on for 30+ years and have never washed the eggs and have never ever gotten sick. In my opinion, since eggs are porous, they are cleaner if you DON'T wash them. After our divorce my ex's gf used to soak the eggs in a sink full of water all day. The sight of the eggs soaking in poopy water was enough to make me gag! What a waste of good eggs! The chicken provides the egg with the best coating available to protect the egg and keep it clean and germ free. If you put a fresh unwashed egg on the counter it will be perfectly fresh after a month or more.


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## CathyCountry

Nope, we don't wash them til we're ready to use them. I've read that if you don't wash them, they will keep longer, and you can keep them right on the counter (in a cooler spot - not next to the oven, for instance). I put them in a carton as I collect them, and the newest carton is always on the bottom - rotating my stock. Been doing this for a few months, and haven't had a problem yet. When I give away a carton, I choose one with fresher eggs and tell my friends to wash them when they use them. With only 6 chickens and plenty of takers, I don't have enough to sell. I also tell them if they are concerned at all, to place the egg in a glass and fill with water; if it sits at the bottom, it's fine. Bacteria will cause the egg to start filling with air and float - haven't had one do that yet, though.


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## forjodie2

I wash my eggs under tepid water and use a brush only to lightly get the nesting material off. I use shredded news paper in my nesting boxes, and some times the shredded paper will stick to the eggs. No soap or anything other than water used on them!


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## Beccatampa

When you wash them you wash off the "bloom" then bacteria gets in I wipe them down and wash them when I am about to use them You need to know about the protective cover which is the bloom and if you wash it off use it immediately


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## nogrodsmithy

As I said earlier, I don't wash them. But I DO tell those who get the eggs that I neither candle, or wash them. That way if they want to wash them, they can.


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## earlyt89

I just wipe them off with a designated scrubber


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## zsash5269

I wash mine under warm running water with a little dish soap then dry thoroughly with a paper towel before placing them in the 'fridge.


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## cogburn

If there's poop or solids (mud) I run a brush over them.. I dont wet just wipe with a dry rag. Then before I use them I run under water if stained. I leave the bloom on the egg for as long as I can..


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## fuzziebutt

Beccatampa said:


> When you wash them you wash off the "bloom" then bacteria gets in I wipe them down and wash them when I am about to use them You need to know about the protective cover which is the bloom and if you wash it off use it immediately


Yup. I used to wipe them off with my shirt, then throw the shirt in the washer. I washed them before I used them.


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## earlyt89

I have never heard about the bloom.


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## cl_dewey

I have a compromised immune system, and I worked in healthcare foodservice for years, so I'm anal about safety. I just rinse my eggs off with vinegar before cracking them. Same idea as washing the lid of a can before opening...get rid of surface germs before exposing the food. Like I said though...I'm picky that way...lol


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## dbbd1

Here is a different question but along the same lines.

Yesterday, I found an egg in the box that appeared to have yoke on it but I never found any other broken egg. Normally, I think the bloom is just a clear membrane but this has me baffled.


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## Energyvet

Sometimes poo can be yellow. If it was yolk though, then I'm not sure if they ate an egg or maybe you have a predator. That's the best story I can come up with.


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## oakwood

Croad Lagshan`s lay eggs with a soft plum colour bloom on them , if you rub the eggs it comes off and they are brown underneath. 
We have kept this breed in the past , their eggs are highly prized. 
If we are setting eggs , we only use clean eggs .
Our eggs are usually clean, we collect them twice a day .
But if it has been raining for weeks and mud marks the eggs we wipe it off with a dry cloth and use the eggs straight away .


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## dbbd1

Poo works for me. My coop is pretty-well predator proof (except for human ones).

Thanks


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## redmaples

I only wash if they are really bad which does happen from time to time. but all eggs for sale get washed with water only.

The trick is this first cool the eggs in the fridge overnight. once the eggs are cold then put them in a basket or on a rack what ever in the sink then rinse them with water that is about 100* F and then let them sit for just 1 minute. then rub them quick under the 100*f running water quickly rubbing them to remove anything nasty and then set them to dry. the cold eggs are warming and the inside is expanding a little so nothing will get "sucked" into the egg. and by the time they are dry the eggs are warmed enough that no water or anything has gone back into the egg and they are clean and ready to sell.


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