Four points I would like to make regarding this very relevant thread (Thanks HKG Phooey for starting it).
1.
I agree wholeheartedly with Metroman on page one of this thread.
It is our job to keep the Flight Deck tidy, but we are pilots not cleaners.
So while it is our job to make sure charts are put away properly and in order, cups and waste paper put in the bins provided and the place left in a neat and tidy manner, we are not cleaners and as such removing grime and accumulated 'other wastes' is not our job.
2.
I also agree with Rollingthunder on page 4 of this thread.
He lists some basic, simple strategies that would, at minimal cost and effort from all involved, keep the Flight Deck at a high standard of cleanliness.
3.
One of the only times I, as a Captain, pull rank and do the 'mean and nasty' is when the First Officer I am flying with tries to leave our workspace in a mess.
I have no problem whatsoever ORDERING him / her back in there to tidy up their mess.
Word gets around.
In twelve years I've only had to do this twice.
F.O.s who have a reputation for leaving the Flight Deck messy
(a) don't try it with me,
and
(b) if they know I'm flying the aircraft after them, they make sure they leave it in a state befitting its importance.
4.
I hate hiding behind such vague words as 'Airmanship' or 'Professionalism', so instead I will suggest that the state a pilot leaves his flight deck is
* a comment on his resposibilities reguarding health and safety in the workplace
* a comment of his opinion of his colleagues
* a comment on the standards he accepts in other aspects of his career.
On this last point, the same can be said of the Company Management who don't do anything about Flight Deck cleaning.
The sad thing is that while we all gripe about it, this thread will run out of steam and disappear but the problem won't.