So, I ended up having to reinstall Skyrim from scratch earlier this week. I had thankfully kept a list of mods that I used and their load order (from BOSS, so not 100% up to date), and since my first forays into the mod world, I've learning a few things about cleaning plugins, checking for conflicts, etc. - probably enough to be dangerous at this point. So, my question to those with more expertise in this area is, does this seem like a good process for creating a stable game?

1. Download Mod

2. Install Mod

3. Sort Load Order with LOOT

4. Clean Mod with TESVEdit

5. Rebuild Bashed Patch in Wrye Bash

6. Load all mods in TESVEdit, check for & resolve conflicts

Repeat at step 1 with the next mod.

Other potentially relevant information: I did clean the Official plugins; the first mods I installed were the Unofficial Patches (did not clean those, only sorted them); I use NMM for Mod Management & Wrye Bash for the Bashed Patch. For resolving conflicts, I'm using the information from http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Documentation#Conflict_Detection_and_Resolution%C2%A0%C2%A0to guide me through the process. The only real question I've had so far on that is the 2nd screenshot under " http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Documentation#Applying_Conflict_Filters" with "Conflict Detection Filter Settings" - the screenshot shows boxes C & D unchecked; but the box text says to CHECK boxes A-E, so I assume they should be checked off when I apply the filter?

So far it's been a little tedious, but it's worth it if the end result is a stable game that incorporates everything I like from the mods I'm using. Am I missing anything?

That pretty much captures my limited understanding of "best practices" with one or two exceptions.

I NEVER use TESVEdit, even though I have it installed and have used it in the past. To me, if it comes to that, it is better to just abandon the mod. I know there are quite a few different "types" of edits, but I've seen reference to some "unclean" stuff actually being intentionally or as we would call it in health sciences a "false positive."

Best not to subject yourself to the gaming equivalent of "Chemotherapy" unless you really KNOW you need it and know what you are doing is my motto !