I clean the stylus on my Grado Reference using a Signet vibrating brush cleaner that I bought many years ago. I don't know if it's still sold, but it has a small circular pad (about 1/3 inch in diameter) of short, stiff bristles which are vibrated at about 400 Hz by a battery-operated motor. The whole gizmo is about the size of one of those fat Waterman / Mont Blanc pens. To clean the stylus, you turn on the vibrating pad, rest the stylus on the pad, and then slowly draw the pad across the stylus from rear to front. I've used this product with success (no damage to cartridge) since the early 1980's.
The other product that you might want to consider is a new offering called the Zerodust Stylus Cleaner. I'd describe the product as looking like a half-dollar sized, hemispherical blob of gelatinous material, like a soft Sorbothane. To clean the stylus, you lower the cartridge so the stylus comes to rest on the surface of the Zerodust. Apparently the gizmo cleans the stylus by making any dirt/crud adhere to the sticky surface of the Zerodust. The product claims it's good almost forever, and there is no danger to the stylus because there is no scrubbing action or liquids involved. I have no personal experience with this product, although I saw it advertised in a promo flyer from Music Direct (www.amusicdirect.com). The price is $69, which seems a little high, but if it saves even one cantilever on an expensive cartridge from damage, it may be a bargain.
The other product that you might want to consider is a new offering called the Zerodust Stylus Cleaner. I'd describe the product as looking like a half-dollar sized, hemispherical blob of gelatinous material, like a soft Sorbothane. To clean the stylus, you lower the cartridge so the stylus comes to rest on the surface of the Zerodust. Apparently the gizmo cleans the stylus by making any dirt/crud adhere to the sticky surface of the Zerodust. The product claims it's good almost forever, and there is no danger to the stylus because there is no scrubbing action or liquids involved. I have no personal experience with this product, although I saw it advertised in a promo flyer from Music Direct (www.amusicdirect.com). The price is $69, which seems a little high, but if it saves even one cantilever on an expensive cartridge from damage, it may be a bargain.