[JimD]

I don't understand the concern about residual oil in the filter housing. That same oil was circulating in your engine right before you shut it down. There is oil in your engine of the same quality and you want it there. It would be MUCH worse to start your engine without oil in the bearing surfaces than it is to have a few ounces of dirty oil left in the engine. Changing your oil restores the additive package and removes most of the carbon and other contaminants. The little bit left behind is not a real concern.

That said, I leave the plug out until it get to the dripping stage when draining the oil and usually use an old turkey baster to remove oil from the oil filter housing on the bimmer. You want to get out what you reasonably but you don't want to worry about what you cannot reasonably remove. Trying something like brake cleaner inside your motor is a much bigger risk than the little bit of dirty oil.