Analog care -- what do we NEED


Looking at all the stuff on the market -- cartridge demagnitizer, anti-static gun, stylus cleaners, a plethora of record cleaning accessories, plastic versus paper sleeves, cartridge alignment tools, damping materials, and a plethora of other tweaks -- it seems as if you can never get your analog set up right. So, here's my question; what do vinyl lovers need to do?

I clean my records regularly - dry-brush before every play, run them through the VPI 16.5 on occassion, - and I clean the stylus, both dry and with Last stylus cleaner about once every week or two, I obviously use a stylus gauge to set up the cartridge and a spirit level to do the turntable. There is a lot of isolation for my turntable and some damping. This already seems excessive. I just want to know what other people do and how much of this is really a necessity?
ssayeed
A little steel wool, a little spit, and a nickel to tape to the headshell when the ruby needle starts mistracking.
Only as much as the user wants. I USED to wash LPs. No more. Now I just use a standard vacuum cleaner witha brush att. To suck the dust off. Then sometimes I use a carbon fiber brush. I use Stylast and THEN brush the stylus before play. I use a counter to see how many plays i have for real on the stylus. (All those phoney "only 50 hours" sales pitches..)
I buy used LPs pretty exclusively, so I buy inner sleeves. And I like the heavy 5 mil outer poly sleeves too. So I blow money on sleeves and stuff I do not need but like.
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If I hade to give up everything but three things: I would keep: Vacuum cleaner, Stylast, carbon fiber brush.
Add on one: new Inner sleeves
These are my 'extras'
PS I always have a tube of meguiars Scratch X to clean up LP covers. Just a tiny daub on a paper towel gets the grime off. So it is another extra but not a 'real' one.
Yes, Viridian, but, the question is:

What type of tape provides the best sonic benefit?

Scotch or masking?

;-)