Sorry to hijack the thread, but this reminded me to thank Supro for his suggestion that I try George L's cords. Besides having awesome tone and being very easy to repair, they made wiring my pedaltrain absolutely hassle-free.

As to cord cleaning, the fairly hard, slick covering of a George L's cable should make that easier with any of the methods that have been posted.

As far as carrying different lengths of cords, I've started carrying lengths of George L's cable (in both sizes) and a few spare connectors, as well as some velcro cable ties. Need a new cord? Just make one up. Cord too long? Coil it up loosely, tie it in place, and keep most of it from getting under foot.