Unwashed Eggs:

  Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or refrigerate for longer freshness.

  Do not wash until ready to use — the natural “bloom” keeps bacteria out.

  Usually, you don’t wash farm-fresh eggs because they come with a natural protective coating called the “bloom” or “cuticle.”

Here’s why it matters:

• The bloom seals the shell’s pores, keeping bacteria (like Salmonella) and dirt from getting inside the egg.

• It helps the egg stay fresh longer — unwashed eggs can be safely kept at room temperature for a couple of weeks.

• Washing removes the bloom, which makes the shell more porous. Once washed, eggs must be refrigerated immediately to stay safe.

• If an egg is visibly dirty, it’s best to wipe it gently with a dry cloth or a lightly damp cloth right before using, not before storing.

Washed Eggs:

  Refrigerate right away.

  Best used within 3–4 weeks.

Why You Shouldn’t Wash Farm-Fresh Eggs. 

Farm-fresh eggs have a natural protective layer called the bloom (or cuticle) that coats the shell when the hen lays the egg. This thin layer seals the pores in the shell, keeping out bacteria and locking in freshness.
When you wash an egg, even with gentle soap or warm water, you remove that natural barrier, making the egg more likely to spoil or absorb bacteria. That’s why unwashed eggs can safely stay at room temperature for a week or two, while washed eggs must be refrigerated immediately.

Why Store-Bought Eggs Are Washed

Commercial egg producers in the U.S. are required by law to wash and sanitize eggs before they’re sold. This process removes dirt and bacteria but also strips off the bloom, so those eggs must be refrigerated at all times to stay safe.
Other countries (like many in Europe) don’t wash eggs — they rely on the natural bloom for protection and store eggs at room temperature instead.

By Request — Washed Eggs Available

We understand some customers prefer washed eggs. If you’d like yours washed, just let us know when you order!
We’ll gently clean them for you and package them ready for refrigeration

Float Test (Freshness Check):

• Fill a bowl with cool water.
• Place the egg in the bowl:
• Sinks and lays flat: Fresh
• Stands upright (touching bottom): Still good — use soon

   Floats: Bad — discard

Tip: Crack eggs into a separate bowl before using to ensure quality.

How and Why The Float Test Works!

The float test works because an egg’s internal air cell grows over time as moisture and gases escape through the porous shell. A bigger air pocket makes the egg less dense — eventually less dense than water — so it will float. The test is a good quick check of an egg’s age, but it’s not a perfect safety test: a floating egg may be old or may have gases from bacterial spoilage, so always inspect and smell after the test.

The science (what’s happening inside the egg)

• Structure: an egg has a hard shell with thousands of microscopic pores, two shell membranes, and an air cell at the blunt end between the shell and the membrane. When laid, the air cell is quite small.

• Loss of moisture and CO₂: over time, water and carbon dioxide inside the egg slowly pass out through the shell’s pores. As mass (mostly water) leaves, the interior pressure/volume changes and the air cell enlarges.

• Albumen/yolk changes: carbon dioxide loss raises the pH of the egg white, which causes the albumen (egg white) to thin and the yolk membrane to weaken and flatten. These changes are used to judge freshness, but they’re also linked to why the air cell grows.

• Possible gas from spoilage: if an egg is infected with bacteria that break down contents, gases (different composition than normal air) can build up and make an egg buoyant — that’s spoilage, not simple aging.

The physics (why it floats)

• Archimedes’ principle: an object floats when the upward buoyant force (weight of displaced water) is equal to or greater than the object’s weight.

• Density change: as water leaves the egg and the air cell expands, the egg’s overall density (mass divided by volume) drops. If that density falls below the density of water, the egg will float. So floating = overall density ≤ water density (≈1 g/cm³).

• Small changes in mass (water loss) or small increases in internal volume (air cell) are enough over weeks to change whether the egg sinks or floats.

How to perform the float test (step-by-step)

1. Use a clear bowl or glass tall enough to let an egg sit freely.

2. Fill with cool or room-temperature water (not hot). Hot water can warm the egg and isn’t necessary.

3. Gently place the egg in the water (don’t toss it in).

4. Watch orientation and position: does it lie flat on its side, tip up, or float?

5. If the egg doesn’t clearly sink/stand/float, remove and try again — handle gently.

Interpreting results (practical meaning)

• Sinks and lies flat on its side: very fresh — small air cell, dense interior. Great for frying, poaching, appearance.

• Sinks but stands upright (blunt end up) — still touching the bottom: older but usually still good to eat. The air cell has grown enough to tilt the egg, but not so large the egg becomes buoyant. This is the “use soon” category.

• Floats: the air cell is large enough that buoyancy ≥ egg weight. This can mean the egg is very old, or that internal gases from spoilage were produced. Treat it as suspect — crack it into a separate bowl and check smell/appearance; discard if off.
  (Important: when you see an upright egg, make sure it’s still touching the bowl bottom — that distinguishes “upright but sunk” from truly buoyant.)

Limitations & important caveats

• Float ≠ automatic poisonous: a floating egg may simply be old (and still usable in baked goods), or it may be rotten — you must crack and inspect. Conversely, a sinking egg could still be contaminated with bacteria (the float test doesn’t detect microbial contamination).

• Storage affects speed: refrigeration slows moisture and CO₂ loss, so refrigerated eggs age more slowly and may sink longer than the same-age room-temperature egg. Washed eggs (bloom removed) lose moisture faster and will age faster.

• Environmental factors: humidity, shell thickness, hen breed, and how the egg was stored (point end down or up) all change the rate at which the air cell grows. So timelines vary.

• Always crack into a separate bowl first: after the float test, crack the egg into a small bowl and check for any off smell (sulfur/rotten), oddly colored whites, or strange textures before adding to food. If it smells bad or looks wrong, throw it out.

Practical tips for customers/farm use

• Use float test as a fast freshness guide — great at markets or on the farm to show relative age.

• For maximum accuracy, do the test with eggs at the temperature you stored them at (or let refrigerated eggs sit a short time at room temp) so there’s no thermal expansion/buoyancy change.

• We offer washed eggs by request. Washed eggs must be refrigerated and will tend to “age” (grow air cell) faster.

• When in doubt, cook thoroughly or discard — and for people at higher risk (young children, elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised), prefer fresher/refrigerated eggs or pasteurized eggs.