You probably don’t even have linen sheets. My friend Sue, who shares my kinesthetic ecstacy for fibers, invited me to take a nap on her brand new linen sheets when I last visited her while she took her canines out for a walk. As a result, I bought some. Yes, they were expensive all right, but they are heaven to sleep on.

After laundering them, they become softer but rumpled. Although I might be tempted to iron linen blouses and pants with lavender water, I will not be ironing my sheets.

There was a time when women did just that. Growing up I was in charge of starching and ironing my dad’s dress shirts and handkerchiefs (handkerchieves?). My great grandmother ironed and starched ALL household linens: sheets, tea towels, doilies, antimacassars, bird cage covers, tablecloths, and other items I don’t even know the names of.

When making up the bed the other day, it occurred to me that you might use questions like “Do you iron your sheets?” as a screening tool when meeting with new clients.

The answer, depending on what it is, could reveal such things as their degree of fastidiousness or plain old fussiness. Or their financial status, should they reply, “Yes, my housekeeper is instructed to iron them.”

Other simple questions sure to be revealing include:

1. Do you own a timepiece?

2. Where do you get your shoes repaired?

3. What’s in your fridge?

Of course, it would be indelicate to pose such questions.

As an exercise, however, it may steer you to thinking about those qualities that you find challenging in working with a particular client and may lead to the creation of an actual client screening tool that you could, in fact, use without offense.