Nandric may be onto something. I’ve a theory that improper alignment can exacerbate static and that good alignment will minimise it. This means azimuth and even poor "averaging" of anti-skate could be influential. He may also have been referring to the fact that manufacturers/re-tippers can attach the stylus at the wrong angle leaving it looking like a "dragon tooth". In severe cases this angle is blatant e.g. 30 degrees off vertical, but there can be subtle variations that look fine at first inspection but may only be a few degrees off.
I don’t clean records at all unless they are 2nd hand and never use plush pads or brushes to pre-clean before play. I’ve always sworn by the Zerostat and anti-static sleeves and I always quickly vacuum the room with a Dyson before a session. As a consequence there is rarely ever any lint accumulation and even 40 or 50 year old records played hundreds of times sound noise free.
I never apply sticky cleaners of any sort to a stylus (common sense) especially anything that exerts a "downward pull". (Never tempt providence ;^)
