I think we all have an opinion on this one. My sewing area is in the family room. Most of the time I am good about putting them in my thread catcher. I have two on my sewing desk, one for thread and scraps to small to use and the other for paper garbage. I work hard at being efficient so no one had to clean up after me and if unexpected company comes, they only see all my projects I am working on. Then when full, I use them to stuff inside of critters, balls, pincushions, pillows not being used to much, things of that nature so I can even recycle them. I find on using them for pincushions, if you stuff at bottom, easier to close up, more weight at bottom and then use less poly stuffing. I just can't seem to throw out those scraps no matter how small. My group calls me the scrap queen. I find a use for all of it.

We have cats so we automatically make sure all thread clippings are put in the waste basket as they are cut off. Our friends had a cat that got very sick so they took it to the vet where they did xrays and found that the cat had a piece of thread wrapped his intestine.....couldn't be saved.

As careful as I am about putting the tread in a trash can, some still find some on the floor, me, carpet and rugs, shower curtain,etc. I read once that a new clean toilet bowl brush works for picking up thread off the carpet very far to try it and floors and you don't have to bend over very far.

As careful as I am about putting the tread in a trash can, some still find some on the floor, me, carpet and rugs, shower curtain,etc. I read once that a new clean toilet bowl brush works for picking up thread off the carpet and floors and you don't have to bend over very far.

I aim for the trash can ALWAYS. (I said "aim!" LOL) I have carpet too! No sewing room should be carpeted! It is too darn hard to clean up! Let alone the thread and other clippings, have you ever dropped a box of pins on carpet? I use a pincushion for hand sewing needles, a few safety pins, my sewing awl, (can't remember the correct sewing term!), but find that a box of pins is easier for me to use on the cutting table and at the machine. Any scrap that is large enough to use for any other purpose never makes it into the trash. It is stowed away in a box marked "fabric schnitzels" to be used for other things. I have a few of them marked relative to the size of the "schnitzels."

I try to hit the thread catcher but I always have some threads that make it to the floor and onto my clothing. It is a losing battle. LOL

i toss

I'm with the cat and dog lovers. Can't leave thread around so each machine has a place to put threads- one has an old rectangle of batting, one has a cut thread bag that attaches to table and one has a small garbage can for all kinds of scraps and threads. I also have a small cute fabric bowl by my seat in the tv room so I'm pretty covered :)

I keep a paper bag (for groceries) near me at the machine.

I use the a thread catcher because animals can choke on the threads. not good.