I live in a small apartment in NYC, so unfortunately I don't have a dedicated stable/shop/man-cave. In fact, I don't even have a place to hose down my bike when I wash it. Whenever I set up my work stand to do some cleaning, maintenance, or repairs I typically spread out a ton of newspapers to catch all the grease and cleaning fluid, which can be a lot. I do this right in the middle of the living room, and it's a whole production.

What do others put under their work stands? Is there a simple solution for this? A guy I ride with uses an old shower curtain, but it seems like that thing would be drippy and messy after just one use.

Some folks use a carpet remnant. Something small enough to be washed occasionally but large enough to catch the drips.

i use foamy puzzle pieces. like a 1ftxft square. enough to cover the work area

I think you should back off on the grease and cleaning fluid a bit.
A candle-waxed chain is pretty apartment friendly.

just the carpet. my roommate and i steam clean it about once a month, gets any stray grease or dirt up.

A couple strips of vinyl carpet protector from the hardware store.

Might not be workable in your situation, but if your kitchen or bathroom is big enough, and tiled, no worry about carpets and cleanup would be easier--[bike] love, the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket...

Or: is there a bike co-op in the NYC area where you can work on your bike in an actual shop environment?

Or a suitable size remnant of vinyl flooring from a Carpet & Flooring shop.

The kitchen is a great place to work on your bike. Nice tile floor, easy access to water (to wash the grease off your hands) plus snacks, for when things take longer than expected. Not to mention chances are your kitchen floor could use a good sweep anyway.

When I was living in the dorms, I had my bed set up as a loft, just so I could hand my bike from it to work on it.

I rattle canned my bike in the living room on monday. Got the smell gone and the newspaper into the dumpster before the roommate got back...never has to know

the paint didn't go anywhere but the metal specks floated around and coated everything (they wipe right off with the dust)...sorority girls like glitter right?

cardboard.

depends how dirty the bike gets.

i've stopped riding off-road now so my bike stays fairly clean. i keep it in my bedroom, against the wall.

to catch any mud or oil when i'm servicing it i use a white bin liner. if you cut down both sides of it it will be twice the size. that's usually enough to catch anything dripping off the bike.

when it gets dirty i'll shake it out the window or use kitchen towel to soak up liquid.

concrete slab

drip pans:
https://www.amazon.com/Blitz-11430-Ga...sim_dbs_auto_2
or the smaller
https://www.amazon.com/Plews-75-755-L...6148992&sr=1-1

I have the Plews and it works fine. After use, I wipe it clean with paper towels. These may be too shallow if you use a lot of water.

I use cardboard when necessary. Use until it gets soaked and toss it for a new piece.

Buy an old section of carpet big enough to cover your work area. Place a piece of plastic underneath to prevent anything from soaking through. Be sure to trim the plastic so it is exactly the same size as the carpet piece. When you are not working on your bike, you can leave that down and walk all over it if you want.

IMHO, you're better off getting something designed specifically for this application. Go to your local auto parts store and see if they sell oil absorbing mats. You can mail order a big piece and cut it down as needed, replacing them when the backing gets worn (that's what's keeping the oil from soaking through to the carpet). My local Pep Boys used to have them under the Oil Dri brand but I haven't seen them there lately. Finish Line used to sell small mats that had a more durable backing but I don't think they make them anymore.