Dust

I don’t like to use dust covers. They trap volatile polymers outgassing from dielectrics leading to corrosion in delicate electronics. So I get up every 15 minutes and painstakingly remove the dust one speck at a time. LED headlamp and blue-tack on a Q-tip. I call this putting the anal in analog.

Isn‘t being analytically anal a Freudian condition requiring a serious dust-up?

I don't but it's probably a good idea. I live in AZ, and it's very dusty here.

I use silks. Very old now. Silk won’t hold dust and it won’t scratch because of it. My wife can stitch a cover in 45 minutes. I can cut a drape in 5 minutes. Silk does not fray, it is water resistant and can stand a pretty good amount of heat.. I have silk surrounds that are over 75 years old. Covers over 50 years old.. Change the covers for the seasons..
They will last forever if you just soak them in Woolite in a 5 gallon bucket and rinse.

Mine still look brand new.. folks come over for a concert, I uncover and polish all the gear up in 5 minutes with micro fiber towels. Everything stays waxed and chrome is protected with Never Dul

I cover components with exposed tubes. I use a large size polishing cloth, the type for cleaning cars or motorcycles.

I too live in AZ and dust is to us as mud is to others. 
I have a sheet that covers the TV and all components
Individual socks for each speaker.

Do they help? Yes. 
Final solution? No. 

But you dust 1/2 as often.

Assuming you use them.

oldhvymec,
Thanks for the silk idea. I'm going to try it!

I cover my Cary 211 FE amps primarily for protection from my cats but my VPI rim drive TNT turntable I cover to keep the dust off. All covers were made by Stereo Squares.

Lived in Arizona for 25 years... never covered. Have not in the ensuing 20 years. Never had any problems because of it.

It can be dusty, it just can't get humid. That is a killer for rust.. AZ is hot but dry.. Here we have due in the spring and fall. But set STUFF a barn around here it will never rust because the humidity stays low enough.. No salt on the roads. The sun is a killer though, AZ knows that.

Ruins everything, BUT can't live without it.. we hit 115 or 17 here last year.. BUT the over all year was cooler. Gets hot here, too.

Silks are very mold resistant to, I forgot that.. They can wick very well and still stay pretty mold and spore resilient. The spores don't stick as easy..

Mechanical items like turntables and Tape decks should be covered. It is not only dust you are protecting them from but other pollution like cooking fumes. Purely electronic devices could care less. I just wipe them off with a damp cloth once in a while. For units with fans it is a good idea to blow them out with compressed air once in a while. 

Actually, heatsinks and other components that run hot are impacted by dust which is like a wool coat to a transistor.  Not a good thing.  I have always covered my gear with DIY black synthetic fleece covers.

I use a vacuum pump to remove all the air from the room whenever I am not actively listening. This stabilizes pressure on both sides of all vacuum tubes leading to massively increased tube life. Some of my tubes have now lasted longer than since the date of manufacture. Then all the air returns via Biosafety Level III filtration systems. BSL3 is the new audiophile gold standard. They will tell you it doesn’t matter but I can say for a fact the filters are directional.

I use dust covers on my tube and SS integrateds from radiodustcovers.com
Stan will make them to order and even embroider the manufacturer's logo, if you want.