I sew in a guest bedroom and use the bed to lay out all the fabrics I am using. I am forced to clean it off when one of our children or grandchildren come to stay. My sewing machine is always set up in that room.
I use two magnetic pin holders (bought at JoAnn's Fabrics. They are good for picking up pins off the carpet. Little pieces of thread are easy to pick up off the carptet with a piece of masking tape.