How often, and how, do you clean your stylus?

I clean it before each side played and you are wrong, that is not excessive.  Every time I check any of my styli under my microscope there is almost always a bit of debris clinging to the stylus or the cantilever.  I also use a record brush before each play and run records through my RCM fairly often.

It’s as much or more of a bother to look at the stylus with a magnifier as it is to just routinely clean it without inspection. I do so with a Stylast brush (no fluid; just the dry brush) or with Magic Eraser or with a brush and fluid I bought in Tokyo. Once a year or so I inspect using an Olympus lab microscope.

I use a self-adhesive stylist cleaner (drop the needle on the gel once) each side or two. 

I have a friend who uses his brush every single side. He has also had to replace his stylus 3 times in the last 3 years, so it seems like over brushing may do more harm than good.  He also Used to use the liquid, but the first time he had to have his stylus repaired the guy said it was covered in gunk.