How to clean eggs for sell

[lemonie12]

Hi! I'm newer at this chicken thing and could use a little help! I'm not even sure if this is the section I need to be in ... I have several hens and I'm getting quite a bit of eggs now that they're laying, like 40 a day!! I'd like to sell them in town or at a farmers market. I live in Kansas have looked up the regulations but I'm not finding anything on exactly HOW I need to clean them to be able to sell them, it only says they need to be "washed and clean." I'm afraid of "washing" it wrong and someone labeling my eggs as unsafe :-( Until recently I've only had a couple hens who'd lay and we would rinse them and store them in the fridge. They'd never last long anyways!

I've ready somewhere that some people wash in warmer water then dip in a bowl that has warm water with a touch of bleach....?
I've also read somewhere that they wash in warmer water with a little dawn soap then rinse well...?
Others just rinse in warm water...?

I want to do this properly and be able to make a little extra money with this hobby and to recoup some of it's cost. Anyone have a good answer on this? I appreciate any feedback!!

 

[Sara Ranch]

The water should be ok. I have no idea if you (or a sensitive customer) could taste the bleach in a dipped egg.

I tell my customers that the eggs are NOT washed and they need to do so before using them. It hasn't been a problem.

If I was selling at a market, I might do things differently.

Do you have to, or want to, put a note that includes the date collected in each carton?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

The only thing I can tell you is that you should wash eggs (as well as most fruits and vegetables) at a slightly warmer temp than the egg itself. It is said that water colder than the item you are washing can create a vacuum effect and actually draw bacteria into the egg. I've heard lots of different opinions on this subject, looking forward to everyone's comments
Oh. . and

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I would be careful about using bleach. There are people who are very allergic and also bleach at improper concentrations can make people very sick as well.

 

[lemonie12]

The water should be ok. I have no idea if you (or a sensitive customer) could taste the bleach in a dipped egg.

I tell my customers that the eggs are NOT washed and they need to do so before using them. It hasn't been a problem.

If I was selling at a market, I might do things differently.

Do you have to, or want to, put a note that includes the date collected in each carton?

Thank you for your insight! I do think washing with water would be ok and that's a really good point with the bleach solution, I hadn't thought of that. There's not a requirement on date (since we have less than 249 hens), which I thought there would be. But I can't reuse cartons unless we obliterate any of the original markings (brand, grade, date, etc.) That is my next problem...I don't want the cartons looking bad but buying new empty cartoons for 50 cents each seems silly to me... I might have to get creative!

 

[lemonie12]

The only thing I can tell you is that you should wash eggs (as well as most fruits and vegetables) at a slightly warmer temp than the egg itself. It is said that water colder than the item you are washing can create a vacuum effect and actually draw bacteria into the egg. I've heard lots of different opinions on this subject, looking forward to everyone's comments
Oh. . and

Thank you for sharing! I will make sure I am always using warmer water.

 

[lemonie12]

I would be careful about using bleach. There are people who are very allergic and also bleach at improper concentrations can make people very sick as well.

It sounds safer to mark that option off the list! Thanks for your reply!

 

[junebuggena]

It should be noted that once you wash that protective bloom off the eggs, they must be kept refrigerated to prevent bacteria from compromising the eggs.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

It should be noted that once you wash that protective bloom off the eggs, they must be kept refrigerated to prevent bacteria from compromising the eggs.

Oh ya. . I was gonna mention that too
Thanks!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I really don't know much on the dos and don't s on egg washing. . but I am a kitchen manager at a school so I've had to take serve safe class. That's where I learned about washing stuff in warmer water. tomatoes are also one veggie they warn us can create the "vacuum" if washed in cold water.
You don't need HOT water necessarily but if you figure your fridge is 38 to 40 degrees it just needs to be warmer than that.