Easter is upon us once again and that leaves us with egg hunts, flowers, and chocolate rabbits.  Mass-produced plastic eggs are one of the most common tools in the arsenal of egg-hiding and hunting, but recycling or disposing of these eggs can be problematic (and nobody likes accidentally stepping on half of a plastic egg shell).  So perhaps it’s time to shift back to the old-school hardboiled-egg with a colorful shell?  Trust us, anything you can do or give with a plastic egg can be replaced with a sticker, and eggs are easier to dispose of.

Hardboiled eggs are, clearly, healthier than mounds of candy.  But maybe your kids aren’t that crazy about eating a hardboiled egg (they probably aren’t).  Still, this way they can enjoy dyeing eggs and decorating them with stencils, paint sponges, or even permanent markers.  You can even take up the art of drawing faces on the newly-colored Easter eggs.  And that’s where the prize game comes back into play.  You can keep a list of which eggs have which sticker, face, or color and award special candy or money prizes.  So instead of placing them inside a plastic egg, you can give them out after the number of eggs have been tallied.  As a bonus, this will also help you prevent the one major problem with using real eggs: spoiling.

Make Sure All Eggs are Found!

We can’t stress this enough.  Rotten eggs are a terrible mess.  A spoiled egg, whether hardboiled or not, is a wonderland for rot and mold growth.  Yes, the paints on the surface of the egg help to prevent mold from reaching inside, but this is only for a short time.

Side note: Did you know that eggs in Europe are kept on kitchen counters rather than being refrigerated?  This is because they don’t wash them prior to shipping them to the grocer.  Since they still have an external membrane that prevents bacteria from traveling into the egg they don’t need to be refrigerated.  Of course, we wash and clean eggs to prevent diseases and increase their shelf life (refrigerated eggs last longer)

There’s nothing worse than forgetting an egg and accidentally crushing the shell when you’re moving furniture or cleaning a few weeks later.  Worse still: the eggshell eroding and releasing the pungent odor of rotten eggs.  The response can be anything from realizing the situation to believing you might have a gas leak in your home and leaving it while you call the gas company.  But this can lead to the spread of mold, especially if the egg was left hidden in a space you don’t normally venture to.  So always make sure that you count the number of eggs you’ve hidden and record they’re locations so that none are left over at the end.

Dealing with the Results

Of course, the obvious answer is cleanup.  A mask and gloves are necessary here to prevent the spread of disease.  But we’ve covered cleanup of mold and bacteria before.  Always start with warm soapy water for cleanup and throw away the sponge when you’re done.  Then clean the affected area with vinegar or a disinfectant to make sure there is no bacteria remaining.  The small may still be there though so use these refreshing tips from our air fresheners blog:

Lemons: fill a pan with water and lemon peels, allow the water to simmer and it will slowly fill your home with a better, natural smell.  You can do the same thing with other items such as orange peels or cinnamon sticks too.

Baking Soda: while not as effective as charcoal, spreading baking soda over the affected area and cleaning it up after an hour or two will help to remove foul smells from most areas.

Eucalyptus: Both the leaves and the oil are effective here.  The oil can be added to a water-based spray to clean an area or used to simmer on a pan.  A branch of eucalyptus leaves can also be added to a room or closet to help deal with odors.

Vinegar: When you want true cleaning power and the ability to remove strong smells.  Vinegar is a wonder for cleaning.  Leaving a shallow bowl in a room with vinegar in it will help to deodorize a room (though the room will smell strongly of vinegar at first).  You can also dampen a rag with white vinegar and wave it around the room to help clear the air faster.  Of course, any combination of these methods is sure to help and you’ll get a step up if you start by cleaning the area using vinegar.

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