Much good advice above. What I have always used is Kodak cleaning tissue. Roll a sheet from top to bottom. Tear it in half. Where the tear is, you have two feathered edges that are very useful as a cleaning brush. They are very cheap one-time use cleaning brushes. You don't have to worry about them collecting contaminates over time. Of course, use a blower before doing that, and again after. Then put a small amount of lens cleaning fluid (again, I try to use Kodak) on another tissue and clean the lens. Do again if needed.
This has worked for me for many years since I read about it in one of the photo mags about 30 years ago. A well known camera repair person used to write in his books, about the use of filters (of course, this is almost a religious preference, for or against), keep the lens clean, don't keep cleaning the lens. So I agree with your use of a filter to protect the lens after it is cleaned. Not every one does.
