I have three sets of wheels in my "office" aka the old kitchen or the sewing room. I have 2 sewing machines and 2 sergers up and running. All of the flat surfces in my sewing room are either formica or kitchen counter top tile. Each of the machines has a thread/bits and pieces catcher that came with the machine OR was fabricated with my two little hands from a plastic bag and tape. (This is when the tile and formica get important.) I open the top of the bag and stick down just under 1/2 of the edge on the top of whatever the machine is sitting on. Threads and bits fall or are dropped onto the bag.
Ta Ta! One downside, though. Until you get into the habit of dropping/scooting threads, etc.,one still gets thread/bits build up in rollers. It does get less with time. I promise.
Any "excavations" around here are facilitated by long, really pointed tweezers from a "hard to find tool" place and an oldish but not quite dead seam ripper. We needent discuss what to do with those because all my sister and brother sewers already know what to do with them regarding clogged wheels.
Please enjoy your day. Thank you for being there. You make my days much nicer.
Pat