Should you use cleaner on your stylus?

OK I'll try the Mr. Clean, but have any of you Mr. Clean users also used the Zerodust? It gets my stylus immaculate and it's a soft gel-like material. Why would Mr. Clean be a better choice?

Actually, I use both. I use the Mr. Clean first, then the Zero. I've found that once a week with the Mr. Clean, and every lp with the Zero keeps my stylus absolutely spotless. I use the Zero every play.

Aside from the weekly use of the Mr. Clean, I also use it immediately after playing any lp that sounds like crap, just in case the lp was not clean enough. Also any lp I have not personally cleaned. That thing will take ANY crap that builds up off.

Before we suggested the ever more popular Mr. Clean Magic Eraser we owned and used ZeroDust, ExtremePhono, RRL #9 liquid and even one of Twl's ex-Linnie matchbook strikers.

My experience is that the MCME cleans better than any of them, and it's safe for hollow cantilevers as Nsgarch mentioned.

Joe's suggestion of less frequent use makes sense if you're concerned about abrasion. But diamonds are pretty hard and a stylus sees thousands or millions of times more abrasion playing one side of an LP than it gets from a 1 second dip in MCME.

We used to use MCME only every tenth side or after a dirty side, like Joe. Then Jonathon Carr of Lyra explained to me that a stylus picks up a microscopic layer of melted vinyl particles on every play, even if the record is perfectly clean. The MCME is abrasive enough to remove this layer. ZeroDust, XtremePhono and liquid cleaners will not. I have verified this using a photographer friend's 200x microscope camera.

Therefore, this is what we do after EVERY side:
1. Dry brush stylus from B-to-F
2. Dip stylus once or twice in MCME (NEVER brush or scrape with it)
3. Dry brush again to remove any loosened particulates

Note: use only the white MCME, not the blue ones. The latter contain cleaning chemicals.

I was planning to use both Mr Clean and Zerodust - got a great deal on the Zerodust or I would just be using the Mr. Clean eraser.

Doug, et al - Like flharris, I would like to know what brand of stylus brush is recommended...

Holly

Any small, short-bristled brush will do. Relax, it's just a brush! ;-)

I used the corner of my CF record brush for nearly a year. That worked fine, though it's not quite as stiff as a "real" stylus brush.

Then these higher model ZYX's started showing up. They include a free stylus brush! Not bad for a few kilobucks, huh?

How about a small paint brush like artists and model builders use? Cut the handle down to a convenient length. Choose one with coarser bristles and trim them off short if necessary, so they have a little stiffness to them. Should cost you about $0.59.