sticky, dangerous, just didn't clean well enough as seen under a magnifier
Yes - the key is to actually look at the stylus with relatively high-powered magnification before and after cleaning. A 3x magnifying glass is not enough. Use a loupe, at least 10X. This will tell you what your stylus looks like what the cleaner and/or technique accomplished.
I stopped using the Onzow not because I thought there was Danger in using it. I stopped using it because it was only partially effective. The way it works is to be sticky and permeable. However you cause the stylus to penetrate the Onzow is one thing, but all it does is grab stuff on the stylus and retain it. That's fine for dust and surface particles. In my experience, dipping the stylus into the sticky Onzow does nothing for yellowish material baked onto the stylus. That is based on actual examination of the stylus before and after Onzow use.
This is what I do - I'm not saying what works for you. But it seems hard to argue with actually looking closely at real world results.
Instead of looking at the stylus, some people look at the Onzow - "just look at the black spots on my Onzow, that proves its working". Well yes it will pick up stuff and hold onto it thanks to its stickiness. Examine and compare a dirty stylus cleaned by the Onzow versus the ME versus a liquid. If the stylus only has dust on it, all three may yield similar results. If the stylus has dirt/stuff firmly attached or coated, you'll likely see different results.
Do the experiment - learn for yourself.
Wrt 'Danger': Some people say: "When used properly, the XXX should work." Implying that if XXX did not work, it was used improperly. I don't accept that implication. Yes, if you use any tool or method in a clumsy way you can cause damage. However that does not establish that a damaged stylus resulted from user error.