Farm-fresh eggs are a delicious and nutritious addition to any kitchen, but should you wash them before storing? How should you store them for the longest shelf life? In this article, we will answer your questions about egg washing and storage.
In This Post
Egg washing and storage are the two most controversial egg-related topics among avid chicken keepers. One side says you should wash every egg before you store it while the other side says only wash a really dirty egg and only wash them just before use.
One side says you should refrigerate your eggs asap. The other side says no refrigeration is needed. After our last article on determining if an egg is fresh, I had many questions about the washing and storing of eggs. This inspired me to take a good look at these two topics with you.
About Egg Washing and Storage
The truth is, you do not have to wash any farm-fresh egg that is to be stored. When eggs are laid, they are covered with a thin, protective membrane called the bloom. This protective layer keeps bacteria, dirt, and other bad things out of the egg and all the eggy goodness inside.
Commercial egg plants wash their eggs in chlorine bleach and soap. This, of course, destroys the bloom and some of the chemicals leech inside through the tiny pores of the eggshell, which are now exposed.
Some people also use a cleaning mixture of bleach and detergent to wash their fresh eggs. It’s recommended that you never dry a washed egg with a cloth; allow it to air dry.
YUCK! I would NEVER use this at my home.
I don’t wash any eggs that I’m going to store. If one of my girls’ eggs has dirt or poop on it, I wipe it off with a clean dry cloth and put it where I can use it next, and wash it just before I use it.
Why don’t I wash my eggs?
The reason I don’t wash eggs is simply because of the bloom.
The bloom is destroyed by washing. By not washing, the membrane is left intact and the egg keeps longer.
It’s pretty safe to assume every egg has bacteria on it, and egg washers cite this as the reason they wash their eggs. But the truth is, washing an egg and removing the protective membrane makes it more likely that bacteria can get inside the shell.
Bacteria love moisture, so adding it along with removing the membrane creates the perfect environment for bacteria to breed, increasing the risk of egg penetration. Whether or not to wash an egg is a personal decision. However, I strongly feel that not washing the egg is the best way.
Should I refrigerate my eggs?
This may seem like a silly question to us in an age of modern refrigeration, but in many countries, eggs are not refrigerated. As a matter of fact, old-timers didn’t refrigerate their eggs. My great-grandmother and grandmother used egg baskets to keep their eggs until ready to use.
Here in the U.S., cold storage is considered the best way to keep eggs by most people. However, in other countries like France, Britain, and actually most of Europe, eggs are not refrigerated.
The commercial method is to keep eggs stored between 35 and 40°F. They say that when kept at this temperature, with an adequate humidity level (above 60%), eggs will keep for 100 days.
Be careful storing your washed eggs next to something smelly, like an onion, because they have lots of tiny pores and will absorb odors.
When researching egg washing and storage, I found there have been scientific studies done in an attempt to squash the idea of refrigeration. They have proven there is no difference in the bacteria levels of cold storage eggs versus room temperature eggs. You have to decide what you feel comfortable with.
The old-timers used to store their eggs in crocks or barrels filled with lime water, or baskets in the root cellar.
If they had a large supply, they would often fill the container with sawdust or straw and store it in a cool place like their root cellar or basement. They stored them small end down to keep the air pocket in its natural place.
I store my yard eggs in my egg basket at room temperature. They must not be placed in direct sunlight or next to a heat source.
I keep some in the kitchen in a basket, and the rest I keep in baskets in the room where I keep my preserved garden produce. It isn’t heated, so it remains a pretty even, cool temperature, and the humidity is good.
How long are eggs good?
As a general rule, unwashed fresh eggs are good for 6 weeks at room temperature with no other preservative methods used. If you refrigerate unwashed farm-fresh eggs, they will keep up to 5 months.
Washed eggs have been proven to spoil within a month or less if left at room temperature. If you do wash your eggs, let them air dry and store them in the refrigerator immediately. They will keep for about 100 days.
If I use eggs that have been on standby for a while, I always check them for freshness using the bowl method.
Learn about the red and brown spots often found in fresh chicken eggs and more in our other egg-related articles.
Summary
We do not wash our fresh eggs. They are good for 6 weeks at room temperature with no other preservative methods used. If you refrigerate unwashed farm-fresh eggs, they will keep up to 5 months.
If you do wash your eggs, make sure to use warm water and dry them thoroughly with a clean cloth before storing them. Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator after you wash them. Storing them this way will help keep them fresh for up to 100 days.
I’m just an experienced farmer with generations of chicken keeping to rely on to decide about egg washing and storage.
Where do you stand on this issue? Are you a washer or a non-washer? Do you refrigerate or not?
Be sure to share your experiences, ideas, and tips in the comments below.
As always, we’re here to help.
Can eggs that have been in cold temps in winter be stored same way as warmer months?
Hi Margie, yes you can usually store them the same way. What matters most is not so much that it’s winter, but whether the egg is still clean, unwashed, and has that natural protective bloom intact. If it does, I’d handle it just like I would in any other season. Keep clean, unwashed eggs in a cool spot if you’re leaving them out, or refrigerate them for longer storage.
The one winter wrinkle is this: if eggs have gotten so cold they’ve frozen, or they’ve developed tiny cracks from the cold, I would not store those like normal fresh eggs. Cracked eggs need to go in the fridge and be used quickly, and frozen-and-cracked eggs are better not kept for regular storage at all.
Thanks for being a part of The Farmer’s Lamp community!
So glad to learn more about wash or not to wash my eggs. I started keeping backyard chickens last summer. I have 8 Bantams. 5 are hens. Have been rinsing with plain water if not dirty. Use “Good Egg” wash if soiled before storing in an egg basket on my counter. Nice to learn about “the bloom”. Will start to store without washing. I like the idea of dating them with pencil. I am widowed so if I can’t eat my eggs fast enough on my own I give to neighbors and friends or family. The Bsntam size eggs are perfect for me. Chicken keeping has been quite a learning experience. But I love it!
Hi Jo Nel, thank you for sharing your chicken keeping experience, and what lucky neighbors you have! Very kind of you to share the egg-wealth :). Thanks for being a part of The Farmer’s Lamp community.
I am a new chicken tender😉 What is the best way to keep up with the age of eggs that are unwashed and kept unrefrigerated?
Hi Stephanie!Welcome to the flock—so glad to have you here. The simplest is to use a pencil and date the eggs. Write the collection date directly on the shell with a pencil (never use markers or ink pens, as those can seep through the porous shell). Since you’re not washing them, the bloom (natural coating) is intact, which protects the egg from bacteria and helps it stay fresh longer at room temperature. Just stack them in your egg basket with the oldest eggs in front or on top, and you’ll always know what to use first. Thanks for being a part of The Farmer’s Lamp community!
I had chickens for years about 40 years ago and over the years we raised every other kind of animal on the planet, including ostriches in between chicken, eggs and ostrich eggs. They are magnificent. I’m thinking about starting all over again because of the way our world is getting a little bit too much in our face. I just wonder when somebody’s gonna be trying to take over things that that is out of our control.
Hi Linda, thanks for your note and fun farming memories! These are historic times indeed and, like you, I always feel better adding more resilience to my bucket be it food sources, new skills, or getting to know more folks in my community. I love how folks share on The Lamp with one another through comments and the emails we get. The more we can learn from each other about building resilience the better in my opinion; that’s why I’m motivated every day to keep expanding resources on The Farmers Lamp. Thanks so much for being a friend of The Lamp and let us know how your flock goes! Safe journey
I don’t wash my eggs unless they have poop on them . Then as you said I wash & use first. However I dont like to put unwashed eggs in my refrigerator with other foods. So I store all my eggs in another fridge just for them. I know people who store there unwashed eggs on the counter but I just feel better if they are refrigerated. My question is how long can they be left in the nest. I live in South Ga.where the temp can get to 100 or more in the summer. I have left home for a couple of days with no one to collect eggs then throwing them away for fear of spoilage.
With the humidity and heat we have here in the deep south, I too would not keep them for human consumption if left longer than a day. You can cook them and give them to your dogs or even to your chickens. You could also feed them to hogs…if you have them 🙂 Thanks so much, Terri, for letting me hear from you. If I can help you further, please feel free to give me a shout!
[…] My Black Australorps and Speckled Sussex are champion layers. I don’t bother to keep laying records unless I have a slacker and I’m trying to determine who the slacker is. A couple of years ago I had to cull some older girls and so to decide who needed to go, we went through the long process of recording the laying patterns of the hens. Out of the 120 days of recording them, these two breeds lay an average of 115 eggs, each! The Rhode Island Reds aren’t too far behind them. Learn about egg storing and washing. […]
Hi Rhonda, thanks for the interesting article. Here in the UK we don’t tend to refrigerate our eggs as it’s cool enough. I may give a soiled egg a wipe with a cloth before use but I certainly wouldn’t wash them and even if I did it would be with Milton fluid and not bleach.!!
I do quite a bit of baking and cold eggs don’t give you the best results.Iresults.I also think that people have become a bit over zealous with antibacterial cleansing to the detriment of our own wellbeing. exposure to a bit of grubbiness would stop people from getting allergies and the like. Sensible hygiene is the key.
nice to meet you and news of your animals. Best regards, Amanda
Amanda, Your kind words are much appreciated. I agree with you totally about the cold eggs giving different results. The over zealousness with chemical cleaners is definitely a problem, especially here in the media driven U.S. You’re right about the exposure to “grubbiness”, science has proven that. There isn’t much (nothing that I know of – as retired nurse of 21 years) that warm soap and water, vinegar and baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide can’t destroy. I really appreciate your stopping by to comment. It is nice to meet you and I look forward to growing to know you more!
Thanks for the interesting article. I was wondering if my eggs are free of any soiling, Do you recommend that they are washed before using them?
John, Thanks for taking the time to comment. As I said in the article, I don’t wash any of my eggs. There is no reason to wash an unsoiled egg. Only
soiled eggs get washed at my house and then only just before I use them. I hope this answers your question. If not, please let me know by comment
or use the contact me page on the site.
I appreciate this article, we just started working with chickens and I have received so much information. This helps a great deal in taking care of our eggs!
Kate, Thank you for taking the time to comment. If you have any questions, or need anything at all, I will do all I can to help you.