i tried to give it a dry buff and it just made it worse and smeared.
im kinda scared to find out if my 50 will suck up dust like there is no tomorrow! thats half the reason i got the filter is to protect the front element and its doing that just getting nasty marks on the filter
Clean the filter under warm running water with just a spot of dish detergent. This will remove any oily residue such as body oils, etc. or other nasty stuff. Dry it with a clean, soft, cotton towel or tee shirt.
And don't be paranoid about everything you read in forums about lenses being "dust pumps"...a lot of it is just overblown nonsense and in some, but not all cases, urban mythology.
Get yourself some microfiber cloths and use them for cleaning. But FIRST: use a rocket blower or other similar device to blow any particulate from the glass surfaces first...this will prevent scratches during cleaning. Usually, all that's needed to clean a filter, is a little warm breath and a microfiber cloth. I don't have a single drop of lens cleaning fluid...just don't see a need for it.
Also, be careful how you store things...sounds to me like you're not doing something carefully or correctly.
