One thing I've learned (the hard way) from painting vehicles is to segregate your abrasive paper. I store my paper flat in a rack with the finest 2500 grit on top so that any abrasive particles that may come loose can only get onto a coarser paper stored below. And I've read that many custom stockmakers do the same and will not even have different grits on the bench at the same time. A piece of abrasive grit from 220 on your 2000 wet or dry paper will make a nice scratch that will have to be sanded out. Cleaning with compressed air or a tack cloth between grits is a good idea. I've completely gotten away from steel wool for whiskering because of the pieces that can become embedded in the pores.
