Last updated October 8, 2026

What we collect, in short

• Questions, answers and messages you send us, plus your email only if you choose to give it.
• "Did this fix work?" reports, which are anonymous.
• A ZIP code if you ask for the weather on the Punch List.
• Standard server logs that every website keeps.
• Ad cookies set by Google, which you can control.

We don't sell your personal information, and we don't build profiles of our readers.

Questions, answers and messages

When you ask a question, answer someone else's, or send us a message, we save what you wrote, your state if you chose one, the page you sent it from and the date. If you give us your email, we use it only to reply. We don't share it or add it to a mailing list.

If a question is likely to help other readers, we may answer it on the guide, without your name or email. To limit spam, the form keeps a scrambled (hashed) version of your connection's IP address for about an hour.

"Did this fix work?" reports

When you tell us whether a fix worked, we save your answer and, if you added them, the time it took, what you spent, your state and a short tip. Reports are anonymous. We only show totals once a guide has enough reports, and we read tips before using them. A scrambled version of your IP address is kept briefly to stop the same report being sent many times.

Weather on the Punch List

If you enter a ZIP code to see this week's weather, our server looks it up and asks the U.S. National Weather Service for the forecast. Your browser only talks to our site. The ZIP is saved in your browser so you don't have to type it again. On our server, forecasts are cached by ZIP code for about an hour and aren't linked to you.

Saved on your device only

The Punch List, seasonal checklists, step checkboxes, the My House tracker, "Did it" dates and your recently viewed guides are saved in your own browser. That information never leaves your device, and clearing your browser data removes it.

Ads and cookies

We use Google AdSense to show ads, which keeps the guides free. Google and its partners use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this site and other sites. You can turn off personalized ads in Google's Ad Settings, and you can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services. You can also opt out of some other companies' ad cookies at aboutads.info.

If you visit from the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, you'll be asked for consent before personalized ads are shown. Ads never decide what we recommend.

YouTube videos

Some guides include a video from another creator on YouTube. The preview picture loads from YouTube's image server. The video itself only loads when you press play, and it uses YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode. Once it plays, Google's privacy policy applies.

Server logs

Like nearly every website, our web host keeps standard logs of visits: IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. We use them only to keep the site secure and working, and they're kept for a limited time.

Children

GrabTheHammer is meant for adults, and we don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you think a child has sent us something, email us and we'll delete it.

Your choices

• See or delete what you sent. Email hello@grabthehammer.com and we'll find and remove your questions, reports or email address.
• Turn off personalized ads in Google's Ad Settings.
• Clear what's on your device by clearing this site's data in your browser.

Depending on where you live, including California and the EU, you may have extra rights, like asking what we hold about you or asking us to delete it. We honor those requests for everyone, wherever you live.

Keeping it safe

The whole site uses HTTPS. Messages and reports are stored outside the public part of our server, and only we can read them.

Links to other sites

Some guides link to manufacturers, safety agencies and other sites. They have their own privacy policies.

Changes

If this page changes, the date at the top changes too. Our terms of use cover how the guides may be used.

Contact

Questions about privacy, or want something deleted? Email hello@grabthehammer.com.