Does anyone do this? I am looking at my wheels and the lug seats on the wheels are filthy. I had some lug bolts loosen and I am wondering if the dirt could have contributed to it. The "new to me" wheels I got have nice and clean lug seats.
Hard to determine impact and risk but like most things, cleaner is better.
Just don't use wax or oil in this area. The key thing is to torque to spec and use star pattern. Then check again after 100 miles. Could check every month to 3 months if you are concerned. Just don't over tighten each time.
I use a torque wrench and go through it using a star pattern.