Ironing, steaming and pressing clothing is generally not our favourite way to spend our time. Most of my friends, family and clients abhor these chores. But it all depends on whether you’re at peace with the crease. If you enjoy a very polished style and pristine looking wardrobe items, chances are high that you’ll go the extra mile and iron them. If your style is a little or a lot more RATE (rough around the edges), you’ll probably be more relaxed about having a few creases.

I don’t enjoy ironing that much, but my tolerance for creases is very low. With the exception of a casual linen shirt on a hot Summer’s day, I feel untidy and unpolished in clothing that’s creased. So I bite the bullet and iron creased clothing to make it look neat, fresh and “new.”

I send some clothing for dry cleaning and launder the rest myself. Excluding underwear, socks, and workout wear, I do not launder clothing after one wear unless it’s stained or has an odour. This is how I grew up, and the habit stuck. It’s a waste of energy, time and resources to wash an item that really doesn’t need a wash, and excess laundering is hard on clothing. I air out some items, and fold or hang the rest neatly back in their spot in my wardrobe. I iron the items before wearing them again, so that they look and feel pristine.

In a very real way, ironing helps me to launder less frequently. I guess I am using extra energy for the ironing itself, but I think that overall it’s more sustainable than laundering items after every wear. And definitely less expensive, both financially and environmentally, than sending items to the cleaners. So think of it as ironing to save the environment, and maybe it will feel less like a chore.