is ok to use wifes new make up brush to clean styius needle

"Member since Jan 01,1970"  Impressive! You've been here BEFORE the internet started!
 A dip with Magic eraser from Home Depot and the brush afterward, will keep it in business.

Short, fine, slightly stiff bristles, compacted together...works best.

Long fibers are not desirable.

You want to gently scrape away dirt, in a way that there is a very slight soft plastic fiber pressure on the diamond stylus, but no real stressing of the stylus, cantilever and suspension assembly.

this one is more like a proper ideal.

I would not use the wife’s make up brush, it can cause more problems than it can help create cures.

You want to be able to control and feel the pressure and cleaning you are attempting to give the stylus. Which will include the cantilever right at the stylus mounting point, to clean away the grunge that builds up around where the stylus meets the cantilever. Doing this requires a slight pressure be delivered, no more than a few grams, like 2 grams or so.

Doing this right requires being under control of fine motor movements of your given hand. First, to brace the hand doing the cleaning on the chassis of the turntable for example, palm up.... and then gently move the finger and thumb that are holding the brush.....moving slowly.  Possibly holding the tonearm in place on the given arm rest, so it is stable and can't get away from being under perfect control (motion wise)


Millions of people do it all the time, so it’s not a big deal, it just requires practice and the right/correct/best brush.

With the brush shown the amount of feedback in 'feel', from the brush is about as good as it is going to get. And that feedback in the hand of what is going on at the stylus and brush interface, is important, so you can know what you are achieving.

It wouldn't be ok at my house :-)

The brush that Teo mentioned is the only proper type of brush. 

You should ask your wife not the folks here. If she is ok with it then go ahead.

..just make sure your wife hadn't used makeup on it beforehand.

Those short dense bristled brushes aren't for me, I use a long plastic bristled brush that I believe came with a Shelter cart just to get the big stuff then drop the stylus into a jell based stylus cleaner.

Why not or why take a chance?        Ask that question on so many dimensions.  

No. It's too soft, you won't remove everything you want to remove. I use Lyra stylus cleaner and Lyra brush that comes with it.

I bought a set on clearance and the smallest looks a lot like a stylus brush I have seen online. I use it to brush dust bunnies off stylus, works great. I also have an sc2 short bristle carbon fiber brush and use majic eraser every few sides. I use the larger brush, there were 5, to wash records. It has many more bristles than a paint pad and seems to work better. I use a paint pad while rinsing.

Get the little box with sticky surface that cleans the stylus.  A soft brush will remove dust and lint that collects but does not do much to get the oils that come from your hands to the disc to the needle off with a brush.  Harder brushes, as often come with a new cartridge, can harm the tender parts and the cantiliever.  Use the cleaner and protect your stylus and immediate connections.   Chemical cleaners are available too but must be used with care.  The diamond is GLUED to the cantiliever and some cleaners can remove the glue and cause the diamond to fall off.  Using the sticky box cleaner every time keeps it pretty pristine, safe and playing great.

"Harder brushes, as often come with a new cartridge, can harm the tender parts and the cantiliever. "
A manufacturer supplies a brush to destroy its own product?Maybe if your heavy handed, and ill advised. If that’s the case, ANYTHING can ruin a cart cantilever.

I'm with Teo.  However, Last also make similar stiff brushes, sold with their stylus cleaners and preservatives, that probably work just as well as the one cited by Teo.

Presumably, your wife will want her brush returned, so she can use it for make-up.  Obviously, you cannot share that brush; it has to be dedicated to cartridges or cheeks.  Therefore, you save no money by using the make-up brush on your stylus; your wife will have to go out and buy another brush.

I use a v small artist brush and a magnifier:

Joe Miller Signature Series 50/50, Round, Size 00 JMSR-2-0Half sable, half nylon, fine stiff tip
An efficient way to keep a stylus clean is to play clean records.

The small brush that comes with LYRA STP, looks like a small painters' brush, works well. I haven't tried it dry yet.