Hi Corey,
Well, maybe I'm too late.
My background; Did my first install and countertop in 1969. My first full kitchen and install during the Watergate trials. In the late '70's, Alan Park, then the president of Rudd paint put on his overalls and came into the finish booth with us for some advanced instruction. Been a Firefighter for many years but I have recently gone back to working in the cabinet shops. Have built most of the fine furniture in our home along with several guitars. I am currently spending many of my days off in the spray booth in a cabinet shop.
That's the background, here's the recommendation.
Tack cloths leave more than they pick up.
You didn't mention the type of finish but here are a few guidelines.
Use a high quality sandpaper. The new foil backed gold papers are very expensive but have a long life and are worth the price. Sand to 120# when staining, 400# to 600# when dyeing, but don't use carbide paper as the rounder particles will burnish rather than abrade. After applying the dye resand to 240# for surface finishes. Sand to at least 240# for Walnut. All veneered panels should be block sanded only, never with a power sander. Don't use oil based stains under surface finishes. Change your sandpaper very often...it's easy to polish and burnish and the staining will be blotchy.
Been planning on a finishing video but not a lot of time to do that. Even the pro's do some occasional stupid things when prepping to finish, and the video would help out in the shop I'm in.
Might be of more help if I knew the wood, stain, dye, and type of finish.
Hope this helped. -Rick