I use this great big soft fluffy thing on a stick. It could be the tail of a very large Persian cat. Its made of synthetic fibres that are supposed to be very good at picking up dust. I dont know about that but it works great and it doesnt scratch or bump the gear.
Ive used it on the plinth and platter of my turntable, but very slowly and carefully. Ive used on the top side of the tonearm wand, again very slowly and carefully. Ive used it on the counterweight very very very slowly and very very very carefully. Ive never used it anywhere in the vicinity of the cartridge.
If I were cleaning the TT for sale I would use a 3/4-inch soft artists paintbrush to get the dust off.