Dusting gear and turntable

If you keep your room appropiately clean, a dust cover isn't at all necessary IMO. If you don't keep it clean enough - why not?

I could see a big heavy dust cover being maybe appropriate if you have a cat, but then you better hope they stay away from your speakers too (some love to claw at drivers). It could also be advisable if you had a linear tracker arm with a mile of precision bearing surface to collect dust and get gummed up over time (e.g. ET 2). 

It’s a pain, but i disassemble all my gear, vacuum everything wipe down shelves after with microfiber rag, reassemble. We could dust daily and is still dusty 🙄 

@dwette 

"My wife vacuums on a regular basis (2-3 times/week), and even checks that I have the stylus guards fitted to both tonearms before she goes into the listening room with it vacuum."

Does she have a sister?

Having destroyed a needle trying to clean my TT, got more of a hands off approach now. Also never going to buy anything Piano Black again! Impossible to keep clean. 

Actually used car care products on my TT, got a ceramic spray, that I spray on a MF towel then clean all my gear with that. Wood cleaner for the rack, and wood parts. 

Every once in a while, I'll just bring in my portable air compressor, use that to blow everything out. It's amazing how dust gets everywhere, even with a TT cover on, generally being in a clean room. But I got a kid and 2 dogs.

@dwette thanks for the lead.  However, 400 bucks for a dust cover?  Probably more for custom jobs?  If you're handy and have the appropriate tools, you can buy plexiglass panels from a building supplies store, cut 'em down with a glass cutter and do the appropriate joinery yourself, thereby avoiding the labor charge.  The computer & office equipment dust covers are way cheaper, overall, as long as you don't mind the aesthetics issue.  Still, thanks for the lead!

P.S.  Arts & Crafts stores like Michael's sometime have plexiglass cases in various sizes that you could use as a dust cover for a whole lot cheaper.