This is a subject that gets lots of controversy,But I will tell you this I have and do still sometimes wash my eggs before incubating them to help keep bacteria out of my incubators.If you are going to wash them this is the best way according to Poultry manuals from the 50's and it seems to work just fine.They say always be sure your water is at least 5 degrees warmer than your egg (I use Warm to slightly hot water when I wash) Do Not use Soap and Scrub as little as possible ,scrubbing can cause the outer layer of protection to come off the shell leaving it open to invasion by bacteria.I never wash my eggs before shipping,washing should be done within a couple of hours of starting the incubation process ,So for me if I recieve dirty eggs that I'm not comfortable with putting in my incubator without first washing them(duck eggs are usually dirty) Then I will let them sit 8 to 12 hours and be sure they have gotten settled and are at room temperature,then I will wash them under warm running water to rinse away as much dirt as possible I will rub the egg with my fingertips to help loosen dirt,then I place them in the drainer to dry for 30 minutes or so then date them and put them into one of many incubators.I will tell you I have tried both ways washed and unwashed and there seems to be no difference in my hatch rates for either way ,so In my opinion it remains a personal preference.Thank You For reading my guide,Pat