WD-40 for electronics

wd-40 = no.

silicone added cleaners and lubricants = no.

zero residue contact cleaners = yes.

Aftermarket lubricants and cleaners combo fluids or sprays... with no silicone... used after the zero residue cleaner has been used to clean up the pot or switch = sometimes yes.

that pairing is the best long term solution, IMO and IME.

(based on my experience in handling and working on the range of a thousand older audio items)
The trick, IMO and IME... is to clean and rinse out with a fairly aggressive zero residue cleaner, and then use a cleaner that is advertised as a lubricant/cleaner, in the now dry but clean contact point.

If it is done with just the lubricant cleaner, a single shot cleaning, not a two stage one.....in my experience, too much of the detritus/crap remains, on a set of contacts that did not get a proper cleaning in the first place. What I mean, is the problem that was attempted to be fixed,  comes back again, far sooner, if it is just a one stage lubricant/cleaner that is used. And never anything with silicone in it. It makes for an impossible mess down the road.

It was originally sperm whale oil, and that was a masterpiece of organic chemistry.

As you can imagine, we can’t get any of it anymore. For all the right reasons.

To give you an idea..I just pulled this off a gun forum, via a quick search for the wd-40 connection:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whale oil is actually a better lubricant than most petroleum products. It was used in gear lubes until the whale industry was reduced and the whales put on the endangered list.

It is very effective in limited slip differentials. Those clutches will chatter and cause a "walking" sensation when turning a corner without the whale oil in it. There are other higher tech alternatives.

As a matter of fact, the lubricant made by the human body to lubricate the shoulder and hip sockets is easily 6 times more effective than the best stuff mankind manufactures. Just a little FYI. 

(I don't agree or disagree with this clipped and posted bit, I'm just conveying a bit that is out there on the complex issue of lubes vs cleaners, etc) 

And that is also why getting the dog spit off the plate that you put down on the floor, for the dog to clean off, is such a total PITA. There isn’t anything better for the job than what the dog has naturally, no matter what a lab can concoct for millions in research and effort. (I just got a dog again after about 12 years without one. Hint, use a vinegar/water spray, soap will never work--wrong pH)