I learned this one a long time ago (from somewhere?!) and it really does work. I do this before the vacuum arrives in my sewing room with my DH attached to the handle :-) so the pins and the threads won't ruin my vacuum.

I keep a small, carry-around shop vac in my sewing room. I use a rolling chair to sew in and if I don't keep the threads and stuff cleaned up, it gets into the wheels and locks them up. It's way easier to vacuum than to pick that mass of stuff out of the wheels!

never thought about the threads getting caught in the beater bars...doesn't happen to my vacuum for some reason....

for light jobs, one of those lint rollers work marvelously though!

I have hardwood floors and use a shop vac when I vacuum.

I have wood flooring in my sewing room and I just sweep it and get all the PINS and threads up with dust pan.

I use a stick/hand vac.no beater bars to clean threads off of. Works great....looking to get laminate flooring for whole house soon...the carpet is very worn and creates so much dust (Ihate to dust). I just hope the "wood" floors won't be too cold, but I can wear slippers or shoes so feet don't get too cold...lol

I too have central vacuum system. Does a wonderful job picking up all those little pieces. I keep a small Fuller Brush power maid vacuum under my sewing table, with a special attachment to suck out lent in sewing machine. The central vac is to powerful to use for that. Would probably suck out the sewing machines innards :shock:

You are supposed to vacuum? Is that like cleaning?

My sewing room is the only room with carpet. I prefer carpet, the threads, pins stay where you drop them, not move all under and in hard to get places. I bought a inexpensive small bagless floor vacuum from Walmart and keep it in my sewing room closet. It works great and I don't care if it picks up pins or gets thread wound all in the rollers. The one I have now has lasted over two years, even the cheap ones get better and better.

I put down ceramic tile in my sewing studio so I can use a swiffer most of the time and a shop vac when I deep clean