Hannah...I use a Brinsea 190 to incubate the first 18 days, then hatch in the Hovabators. This way my expensive machine stays clean and I can keep different batches of eggs going, regardless of the stages of development they are in...I'm just careful to make sure I date the tops of my eggs so I know when they need to come out.
Do not wash your eggs, and store them in a cool place with the big end up.
DeWayne...Why don't you store your eggs in a cool place with the big end up? Please explain how you store yours. I've always kept mine in my basement 60-63 degrees and put them in egg cartons with the big egg end up. I close and prop the carton up on their sides, then rotate the carton from side to side a couple of times a day...although I like Clif's idea of an egg turner doing that for me. (Thanks for the tip, Clif!)
Hannah...And as far as cleaning/washing, I keep a pretty clean coop and make sure the hen boxes are always clean. I have, however, had some eggs get a little soiled from dirty feet or poop and if they aren't too bad, I incubate them after I've dipped them in Oxine and gently wiped off the soiled spot. Cleaning an egg (with Oxine or just water) is different than washing it. I don't think your hatch rate would be good if you washed the egg, but gently cleaning the soiled spot is far better than incubating a dirty egg. If in doubt, don't incubate it.