What is the effect of washing unbroken eggs?

Question

I recall reading or watching something at one point that I apparently found credible enough to bother mentally filing away that suggested that if one washes off an invisibly thin outer layer of something or other from the surface of an eggshell then one has to store it differently or something like that. Do they keep longer or for less time, or require different storage conditions if they are washed or unwashed?

Answer 1

You’re washing off what’s called ‘the bloom’ which is a protective coating that’s not entirely obvious at first glance.

Once you wash it away, the egg will degrade more quickly, so in the US you’re required to refrigerate it. (And you don’t want to leave them out of refrigeration for an extended period of time because moisture will condense in them and may carry bacteria or other problems into the egg)

Eggs last much longer with their bloom still on, and they last longer refrigerated, but countries that don’t pre-wash their eggs may not require them to be refrigerated so may have all shorter storage periods

Update: Egg bloom is a liquid secretion from the chicken that coats the outside of the shell before it leaves its body. It dries on the shell, but the coating helps to seal the contents from bacteria and reduces the amount of gas exchange and moisture loss.