i get dust on my guitars a lot. i just gently slot a handkerchief (just a plain cotton one) under the strings and pull. that usually clears that for me then use an old t-shirt to wipe the rest of the dust off. its soft so it wont hurt the finish.

as for your cables, do you put them through your strap when your playing? i used to break the connections all the time before i started doing that. helps a lot if you stand on the cable while playing. can save your input jack too ;)