Lay your rags outside to dry, then once dried toss in garbage.

This. ***Butt simple*** and as long as you place them on something like non flammable, like a drive way, foolproof. Don't wad them up and don't EVER leave them inside till they are dry.

It is drying that causes the issue. Once dry, as stated, you can safely toss. So fireplace. Inside? You're trapping gasses that you do not want. We will all die!!! Nope. Likely nothing will happen, but. You do not want to breathe this shot if you do not have to.

I’ve always just hung them spread out in a single layer on the edge of the garbage can until dry. It’s the bunched up thing that can cause heat to build and cause combustion

I know space is sometimes an issue, but I picked up an old wire shoe rack from Goodwill and hang any wet rags from it until they dry. They don’t touch and have plenty of ventilation to dry fairly quickly.

I toss mine in the wood stove. Bye bye.

Never scrunch when you're done and they are wet as they will combust. Lay flat, let dry then throw away.

I lay mine out flat or hanging over a metal railing in a single layer outside to dry then toss on trash day.

Lay it out flat. But stain should be fine anyway. Boiled linseed oil is what typically combusts when it dries.