Cookie policy
Last updated November 5, 2026. This policy covers homecraftblog.com.
First-party cookies
Our own code sets no cookies. This site is a set of static files. There is no login and no shopping basket, so there is nothing for a cookie of ours to remember. Google Analytics sets two cookies on this domain where you allow them, as described under Analytics cookies, and Google's advertising code sets or reads cookies, some of them on this domain, as described under Advertising cookies. You can browse every guide here with cookies fully disabled and the guides still work.
Security cookies from our host
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare, our host | Distinguishes human visitors from automated traffic so the site can be served and protected. Strictly necessary. | About 30 minutes |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare, our host | Records that a security challenge was passed, so you are not challenged repeatedly. Only set if a challenge is shown. Strictly necessary. | Up to 1 year |
These are security cookies placed by our infrastructure provider, not tracking cookies, and they are not used to build a profile of you. See the Cloudflare cookie reference for detail.
Page-view counting without cookies
Every page loads Cloudflare Web Analytics (static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js) so we can see, in totals, which guides are read. It sets no cookie and writes nothing to local storage. It sends the page address, the referring page, the browser type, the country and page-load timings, and it does not identify you. Blocking the script has no effect on the guides.
Umami, the visit counter we run on our own server, also works without cookies and writes nothing to local storage. The privacy policy lists what it records.
Analytics cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 to measure how this site and our sister blog are read. Its code sets these two first-party cookies, shared by both sites because they sit on the same domain. Google signals and ads personalization are off, so the cookies are not used for advertising.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics, on homecraftblog.com | Holds a random identifier so Analytics can count visitors and tell new visits from returning ones, on this site and on blog.homecraftblog.com. | 2 years |
| _ga_4GLV5PMNQV | Google Analytics, on homecraftblog.com | Keeps track of the current visit (session) and how many visits there have been. | 2 years |
In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland they are set only after you consent in Google's consent message, and in Brazil and Quebec this site does not set them. Everywhere else they are set unless you turn them off with the button in the privacy policy, which also explains what Google Analytics collects. Where they are not set, the tag sends only cookieless signals. The Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on stops Google Analytics on every website.
The contact form
The contact form posts directly to our form provider when you submit it. It does not set a cookie, and nothing is stored in your browser if you start typing and change your mind.
Advertising cookies
This site shows ads from Google AdSense on the home page, the guides and the tools. Google and its advertising partners set or read cookies and similar identifiers to serve ads, to measure ad performance and, where permitted, to personalize the ads you see. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites, and Google and other vendors may also use web beacons and IP addresses to collect information as a result of ad serving. Non-personalized ads still use cookies for frequency capping and aggregated ad reporting.
Google lists these as the main cookies for ads on sites like ours:
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| __gads | Google, on homecraftblog.com | Advertising and security. | 13 months |
| __gpi | Google, on homecraftblog.com | Advertising and security. | 13 months |
| __eoi | Google, on homecraftblog.com | Security. | 6 months |
| IDE | Google, on doubleclick.net | Advertising and security. | 13 months in the EEA and UK, 24 months elsewhere |
| DSID | Google, on doubleclick.net | Security, functionality and advertising. | 2 weeks |
| test_cookie | Google, on doubleclick.net | Checks whether your browser accepts cookies. | 15 minutes |
Google may use other cookies as well, and the list changes on Google's schedule; the current version is in how Google uses cookies in advertising and the Google advertising privacy overview. Other ad technology companies approved by Google may also set cookies when they show an ad; see Google's list of ad technology providers.
Visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland are shown Google's certified consent message before advertising cookies or personalized ads are used, and can refuse. To change or withdraw consent later, use the "Your privacy choices" link in our footer or the "Privacy and cookie settings" link Google's message places on the page.
You can opt out of personalized advertising in any of these places:
- Google Ads Settings, which controls personalized ads from Google.
- aboutads.info/choices and the Network Advertising Initiative, which cover participating third-party vendors.
- youronlinechoices.eu, for visitors in Europe.
Controlling cookies yourself
Every major browser lets you block or delete cookies, either for all sites or per site, in its privacy or content settings. The guides on this site do not need cookies to work. Blocking advertising cookies means the ads you see are not personalized, and blocking the Google Analytics cookies means your visits are counted only in aggregate. Blocking the Cloudflare security cookies may occasionally mean you see a security check more often.
Questions
Our broader data practices are set out in the privacy policy. Write to contact@homecraftblog.com or by post to:
Home Craft Blog145 Tyee Dr, PMB 59462Point Roberts, WA 98281USA