7 Best Egg Washing Machines For Small Farms That Save You Time & Effort
Boost your small farm’s productivity. We review the 7 best egg washing machines designed to save you hours of labor and deliver consistently clean eggs.
That five-gallon bucket of eggs sitting on your counter represents both a victory and a chore. Each one needs to be cleaned, and doing it by hand with a sponge is a time-consuming, back-aching task that steals hours from your week. The right egg washing machine isn’t a luxury; it’s a tool that buys you back time to spend on more important farm tasks.
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Choosing the Right Egg Washer for Your Flock
Deciding on an egg washer isn’t just about how many chickens you have. The real question is what you do with the eggs and how much time you’re willing to spend processing them. A family with ten hens for personal use has vastly different needs than a farmer selling ten dozen every Saturday at the market.
Think about your daily reality. Are your eggs usually clean with just a few specks, or are they consistently muddy from a wet climate and active foragers? How many eggs do you need to wash at once? Answering these questions honestly will guide you better than just looking at flock size. The goal is to match the machine to your specific workflow.
It’s also important to remember the basics of safe egg washing. You must always use water that is at least 20°F warmer than the egg to prevent bacteria from being pulled inside through the shell’s pores. A good machine facilitates this process, but it doesn’t replace proper sanitation and handling.
The Little Egg Scrubber: Top Handheld Option
Clean fresh eggs quickly and easily with this silicone egg cleaner. Its unique shape and flexible bristles gently remove dirt, while the comfortable, non-slip grip ensures safe and efficient cleaning.
For those just starting out or with a small backyard flock, a fully automated system is overkill. The Little Egg Scrubber is the perfect middle ground between a simple sponge and a batch washer. It’s a handheld, powered device with a soft, spinning brush head designed to gently scrub the eggshell.
Think of it as an electric toothbrush for your eggs. You hold the egg in one hand and the scrubber in the other, letting the machine do the hard work of removing stubborn spots. It dramatically speeds up the process compared to pure manual scrubbing and uses less elbow grease.
This tool shines for flocks of under two dozen birds. It’s affordable, easy to store, and simple to clean. While you still handle each egg individually, the time saved per egg adds up quickly. It’s the ideal upgrade for someone who isn’t ready to invest in a larger system but is definitely tired of scrubbing by hand.
Incredible Egg Washer: Best for Small Batches
When you start collecting a few dozen eggs a day, washing them one by one is no longer practical. The Incredible Egg Washer and similar "bubble washer" models are a game-changer for small-scale efficiency. The system is simple: a specialized basket holds the eggs inside a bucket, while an external air pump bubbles air through the water, creating a gentle, cleansing agitation.
This method is incredibly effective for moderately dirty eggs. You simply fill the bucket with warm water and an approved egg wash solution, place the basket of eggs inside, and turn on the pump. The bubbling action loosens and removes most dirt and debris in about 10-15 minutes, allowing you to work on other things.
This is the sweet spot for farmers with 20 to 50 hens. It’s gentle on the eggs, reducing the risk of cracks, and it cleans about three to five dozen at a time. For heavily soiled eggs from a muddy run, you might need to give a few a quick pre-scrub, but for the most part, it’s a "set it and forget it" system that frees you from the sink.
PowerScrub Egg Washer: Gentle on Dirty Eggs
If your farm is in a wet climate or your birds are particularly skilled at tracking mud into the nesting boxes, a bubble washer might not have enough muscle. The next step up is a PowerScrub-style washer. These units still use a water bath, but they add a mechanical cleaning element, like soft rubber fingers or oscillating brushes, to physically scrub the eggs.
This mechanical action makes a huge difference on caked-on mud and manure. Instead of just agitating the water, the machine actively scrubs the shell, dramatically reducing the need for any pre-treatment. You get cleaner eggs with less manual intervention, which is a major win when you’re processing several dozen at a time.
A PowerScrub washer is an excellent investment for flocks in the 30-75 bird range, especially if egg appearance is critical for sales. It costs more than a simple bubble washer, but the time saved by not having to pre-scrub the dirtiest eggs often justifies the expense. It strikes a great balance between gentle handling and powerful cleaning.
Egg Washer 360: Fast Cleaning for Dozens
Once your flock grows beyond a hobby and becomes a serious side-business, your time becomes your most valuable asset. The Egg Washer 360 and similar conveyor-style machines are built for speed and volume. These systems move eggs along a track of rollers through a chamber where they are sprayed with warm water and scrubbed by brushes.
The workflow is completely different from batch washers. You simply load eggs on one end, and they emerge clean—and often partially dried by a fan—on the other. This continuous process allows you to wash 10, 20, or even more dozens in the time it would take to do a single batch in a bucket system.
This level of automation is best suited for farms with 75 to 150 hens. It’s a significant investment, but it transforms egg washing from a major chore into a quick and efficient task. The key tradeoff is the increased complexity; these machines require more diligent cleaning and maintenance to keep them running smoothly and sanitarily.
Skidmore Egg Washer: Durable, Commercial-Grade
When you’re running a farm where eggs are a primary revenue stream, you need equipment that is built to last. The Skidmore Egg Washer is a workhorse, often constructed from stainless steel and designed for daily, relentless use. This isn’t a plastic bucket; it’s a piece of farm machinery.
These washers are built for high capacity and durability, often capable of washing hundreds of eggs per hour. They use robust motors, powerful water jets, and tough brushes to get the job done quickly and consistently. They are the bridge between small-farm equipment and commercial processing lines.
Let’s be clear: this is not for the hobbyist. A Skidmore is a serious financial investment for a farm with over 150 birds and a well-established egg business. The return on investment comes from massive labor savings and a professional, consistent product that commands a premium price at market.
DIY Bubble Washer: A Budget-Friendly System
Not every solution has to come in a box from a store. For the farmer who is more resourceful than rich, a DIY bubble washer is an incredibly effective and budget-friendly project. You can build a system that functions almost identically to the Incredible Egg Washer for a fraction of the price.
The components are simple and readily available:
- A 5-gallon food-grade bucket
- A standard wire egg basket
- An aquarium air pump with tubing
- An air stone or a DIY bubbler made from PVC pipe with small holes drilled in it
Assembly is straightforward: place the bubbler at the bottom of the bucket, run the tubing to the air pump, and you’re done. It works on the exact same principle of using gentle, warm-water agitation to clean the eggs. The performance is surprisingly close to the commercial versions, and the savings are substantial.
Jobar’s Egg Brush: Simple Manual Cleaning Tool
Sometimes, the simplest tool is the right one. For the homesteader with just a few hens for their own family’s breakfast, a machine of any kind is unnecessary. But that doesn’t mean you have to use a gritty kitchen sponge. Jobar’s Egg Brush is a purpose-built manual tool that makes the job faster and easier.
The brush features flexible, contoured bristles designed to fit the shape of an egg. This allows you to scrub the entire surface efficiently without having to constantly turn and reposition it. It’s far more effective at removing small, stuck-on bits of debris than a cloth or sponge.
This tool is the perfect solution for anyone with fewer than a dozen chickens. It’s also an excellent companion to an automated washer, perfect for pre-scrubbing exceptionally dirty eggs before they go into a batch. It costs next to nothing, takes up no space, and is a simple, effective upgrade to your egg-cleaning routine.
Ultimately, the best egg washer is the one that fits your scale, budget, and the reality of your farm. By choosing the right tool, you can turn one of the most tedious farm chores into a quick, simple task. That reclaimed time is better spent improving your pastures, observing your flock, or simply enjoying the fruits of your labor.
