You mean before i installed it? No, i didnt. Or are you talking about the holder? Some times i do. I try to clean it about every third oil change. Im not sure its necessary. Afterall, thats what the filter is for.
I dont wipe it. Anything in there isnt big enough to be drawn up by flow so, its prolly not big enough to be wiped up. I use a small vac to suck everthing out. Its about 5mm wide so its get in there pretty good. Still, you are right, cleaning it out everytime aint going to hurt.
