Yes.
I use Magic Eraser and alcohol, works great. It will remove paint if you do it too much but the yellow you saw might actually have been old varnish from the playfield. Just be diligent and watch what you're cleaning and you can reduce the amount of paint you remove, but methinks you will always remove *some* paint when using Magic Eraser.
I think that if you keep your playfield clean and waxed and use good pinballs you won't get ball swirls again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnauba_wax
I can't state one way or another why Carnauba wax is desirable, but I bet you'll get a few different opinions in subsequent replies.