When you install lot of stuff on your main machine, you increase the risk of a destabilizing interaction. Here are some good alternatives:

1) Have a throwaway operating system on a spare machine that you remote into. Be prepared to wipe it and reinstall the os when things get flaky.
2) Subscribe to a virtual machine in the cloud.
3) Use Virtual Box. It's quick and easy to install.
4) Use Docker.

I suspect that there are other solutions, but those are the top four that come to mind.