First things first: No, these aren’t the kind of cookies you eat in the kitchen. I wish they were. Digital cookies are just small files that sit on your computer to help our site remember who you are and how you use it.
I get why this is confusing. Most people were taught this wrong—they think cookies are some kind of spy software. They aren’t. They’re just bits of data that make the internet less annoying to use.
Why We Use Cookies
We don’t use cookies to be creepy. We use them for two main reasons:
- To Keep the Lights On: We use Google AdSense to show ads. Those ads use cookies to show you things you might actually care about instead of random garbage. This helps us pay for the tools we test and the hosting for this site.
- To Make Our Tools Work: Our Calculators and site features work better when we know how people are interacting with them. If we see that everyone is getting stuck on the Pool Volume Calculator, we use that data to fix it.
The Types of Cookies We Use
- Necessary Cookies: These make the site actually function. Without these, our Raised Bed Soil Calculator or our navigation might act weird.
- Performance Cookies: These tell us which pages people like and which ones they hate. We check these to see if our News and Updates are actually being read.
- Advertising Cookies: These are from Google and other partners. They help show you ads that aren’t completely irrelevant to your life.
You’re in Control
I get why this is confusing. Most people were taught this wrong—they think they have to accept every cookie they see. You don’t. You can go into your browser settings right now and block them or delete them.
Just keep in mind that if you block everything, some parts of Home Tool Creatives might not work perfectly. Our calculators might forget your measurements if you refresh the page.
Updates
We might update this policy if we add new features or if some new law comes out. We won’t make a big scene about it, so check back here if you’re curious.
Questions? If you’re really worried about a tiny text file on your computer, you can email us at [email protected]. We’re usually busy in the backyard, but we’ll get back to you when we can.