There seems to be a fair amount of information on the Internet as to the best way to clean a down comforter (note; I refer to a down comforter as a duvet many times). I will attempt to tackle as much of the pros and cons here and let you decide.
Firstly, lets talk about ongoing maintenance. When you first purchase a down comforter, you should also get a duvet cover. The duvet cover will help protect your duvet form dirt as well as any direct sunlight. On a fairly regular basis, the duvet cover should be washed as you would any other blanket. As far as the duvet itself goes, a daily shake from all sides will help keep the down and feathers well distributed to keep the insulating qualities lasting much longer. If you don’t do this daily, then try to do it at least weekly.
The second problem I have seen in down comforters are complaints about the smell. If your duvet is brand new and smells, then this could be caused by the fact that it has been in a plastic bag for a long time or it may be caused by the fact that the down used in your comforter is from ducks. Duck down tends to have a bit more odor to it than goose down. The solution to odor problems is to simply to air it out. Hang it outside for a few hours and let the air blow through it and this should solve the problem of a strong odor.
Also, try to avoid sitting or laying on top of your comforter so as to avoid crushing the down clusters. This will cause them to start matting and the end result will be a much cooler sleep for you.
Now, how often do you wash a down comforter? Most manufacturers recommend every 5 years. However, if you use a comforter every day like most people do, 5 years is an awfully long time. And then you have to think, “Is it 4 years or 5 since the last wash?” Another option is to just wash it once a year or maybe every other year. Yes, this is a big difference from what the manufacturers are saying but if you have it professionally cleaned (and you should no matter what), and you have the cleaner use a cleaning agent designed especially for down, then this should give you many years of quality use. Lets face it, 5 years of body oils and dirt is a lot of build up. The reason not to clean it too often is that the chemical cleaning process breaks down the natural oils in the down that give them their insulating qualities. If you use a cleaner designed especially for down, you will have a clean duvet with its characteristics intact.
Finally, air it out. Even after getting it cleaned, you will want to give it some air to get any residual moisture out of it. But air it out on a fairly regular basis anyway. This will keep it smelling fresh throughout the year.
Stan MacDonnell owns a number of websites and writes articles on various home products. To see many options in down filled comforters and duvet covers, please visit;
http://www.comfortersforyou.com
Source: www.articlesbase.com