It’s time to clean up and do some redecorating — doctor’s orders.
Dr. Julia Adamian, an internist with NYU Langone, told The Post which five things she’d never keep in her own home because they can mess with your health, your sleep and your safety.
Clutter
“I’m a minimalist, so I do not like clutter,” Dr. Adamian admitted. But like that clean, simple look aside, having too much stuff in your home is a recipe for built-up dust and allergens.
“The hidden danger of the clutter is the dust. It’s just tough to clean, and the fact is that it can give people allergies. People don’t realize that the most common allergens are at home.”
Experts have long linked clutter to health conditions, both due to allergies and the presence PM2.5, or fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
Short-term exposure to PM2.5 can cause respiratory reactions like coughing, watering eyes, asthma attacks and chronic bronchitis. Long-term exposure is associated with reduced lung function, cardiac episodes, neurological disorders, cancer and even death.
Tasseled rugs
This seemingly harmless decor is actually the source of a lot of injuries.
“One thing that I would definitely not have at my home is a carpet with tassels, because it’s very easy to trip on it,” Dr. Adamian said.
This is especially true for elderly people or anyone with mobility issues, but they’re not the only ones who can catch their foot on some floor decoration and go flying. The doc says people underestimate how dangerous they can be, but most of us aren’t looking at our feet when we’re walking around at home.
“You just step in a funny way, and all of a sudden, before you know it, you’re on the floor.”
Cheese
Don’t worry — unless you have a dairy allergy, the mozzarella in your fridge isn’t going to kill you.
But for Dr. Adamian, cheese is a particular temptation she just won’t keep in her kitchen, and she suggests people ban their own trigger foods from their homes.
“I would not recommend keeping in the kitchen anything which can encourage your bad habits,” she said. “I personally love cheese — and I know cheese has many benefits, but it also has not so many benefits — so for me, anything that will encourage and make my bad habits easier, I will try not to keep within easy reach.”
For other people, that temptation can be soda, potato chips or cookies, and not buying it in the first place means you’re less likely to consume it, since running out to the store presents a big enough obstacle to give people pause.
Scented laundry detergent
Dermatologists frequently warn that scented soaps and laundry detergents can wreck havoc on sensitive skin, and Dr. Adamian’s not a fan, either.
In addition to causing allergic reactions, she says strong scents can irritate your nose and interrupt your sleep.
Some perfumes and other products with fragrances are also made with phthalates, which are used to blend different fragrances together. Multiple studies have linked phthalates to various health issues, including heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes.
Experts also believe that they’re hormone disruptors. Based on early research, phthalates may have an impact on fertility in both sexes, disrupt the development of reproductive organs, and cause issues in pregnancy and birth.
A TV in the bedroom
“The bedroom is supposed to be used for sleep and for intimacy but not to watch TV,” said Dr. Adamian, adding that watching a show or movie right before bed can provoke reactions in the body like insomina, in part because of the stimulation of the blinking lights on the retina.
“We all are so trained on multitasking and doing so many things at the same time. But TV should be separated, because sleep is extremely important,” she said.
