Privacy, Terms, and Safety Notice

The short version: I collect as little as I can, I do not sell it, and everything on this site is information you use at your own risk. The details are below.

Privacy

What I collect, and why

• Your email, if you sign up for the newsletter. It is used to send the newsletter and nothing else. Every email has an unsubscribe link that works in one press. Newsletter emails record opens and link clicks so I can see what is useful.
• Your email, if you become a member. It is your sign-in. There are no passwords: the site emails you a sign-in link. Members also get account emails about their own membership (a welcome, a renewal reminder, a receipt, a notice if a card is declined, a notice before access ends). These are not marketing and are sent even if you are not on the newsletter.
• What you save as a member. The pages in your My Manual, the title and household name you put on its cover, your audit scores, and your checklist ticks are stored with your account so they follow you between devices.
• Payments. Card payments are handled by Stripe. Your card number goes to Stripe and never touches this site. I see that a payment happened, the amount, and the last four digits of the card.
• Messages you send through the contact form. Your name, email, and message are kept so I can reply. Your email is not added to any list.
• Search terms. What people type into the site search is logged without any name, email, or account attached, so I can see what is missing and write it.
• Basic server logs. Like every website, the hosting service records technical details of requests, such as IP address and browser type, for security and troubleshooting.

Cookies and tracking

The site sets one cookie when you sign in, to keep you signed in. Checklist ticks and audit scores are also kept in your own browser. I use Google Analytics to see which pages get read, and advertising pixels from Meta, Google, TikTok, and Pinterest to measure whether my ads work and to show my ads to people who have visited. Those services set their own cookies and receive your IP address, the pages you view, and actions such as signing up or joining. They never receive your name, your email address, or anything you save in My Manual. Any ad blocker or your browser's tracking protection stops them, and the site works the same without them. Ads you see on this site are placed by me, not by an ad network, and the site counts views and clicks on them without identifying you.

Who else handles your information

Only the services needed to run the site: Stripe for payments, Amazon SES for sending email, and the hosting and database providers the site runs on. I do not sell, rent, or trade your information.

Your choices

• Unsubscribe from the newsletter with the link in any email.
• Cancel a membership any time from your account page. Access runs to the end of the period you paid for.
• Ask me to delete your account and everything stored with it, or to send you a copy, through the contact form.

This site is written for adults and is not directed to children under 13.

Safety notice and disclaimer

Working with chemical compounds carries inherent risk. I make no warranty, express or implied, about any method, recipe, amount, or product on this site. You are responsible for your own safety and for following every law that applies to you.

Some activities are regulated. The use of pesticides, curing meat with nitrites, and treating drinking water are governed by federal, state, and local laws that vary by location. Verify and follow the laws where you live before acting on any recipe.

Always observe these precautions

The risks are real

Chemical reactions can produce heat, toxic fumes, or explosions.

In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. For a poisoning or chemical exposure in the United States, Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.

Terms of use

• Your use of the site. By using this site you agree to this page. If you do not agree, do not use the site.
• Membership. Membership is billed once a year and renews on its own until you cancel. I send a reminder before each renewal. You can cancel any time from your account page and keep access to the end of the period you paid for. Refund requests go through the contact form.
• One membership, one household. A membership is for you and your household. Please do not share sign-in links or post member pages, recipes, or field guides publicly.
• Copyright. The text, recipes, charts, field guides, and design on this site are my work. Print them for your own household, including a My Manual of your own. Do not republish, resell, or redistribute them.
• Accuracy. I work to keep every page accurate and consistent with my book, and I fix errors when I find them or when you report one. I cannot promise the site is free of mistakes, and product details, prices, and links change.
• Links to other sites. I am not responsible for what other sites publish or sell.

Shop orders

This is a small shop run by one person, so here is how it works, plainly and with no fine print.

Every sale is final. I'm not set up to take returns or exchanges, and keeping it that simple is part of what keeps the prices where they are. If you're unsure about a shirt size, what's in a bundle, or whether a guide covers what you need, ask me first through the contact form. I answer myself, usually the same day, and I'd rather talk you out of the wrong thing than sell it to you.

Damaged, wrong or missing. If a parcel shows up damaged, with the wrong item, or short, that's on me. Use the "Something wrong with this order?" form on your order page within seven days of delivery, say what happened, and add a photo if there is something to photograph. I'll send a replacement or put the money back for that item; you won't be asked to ship anything back.

Shipping. Every US order ships free. The book, Cardnl and the hats go out from Colorado within two business days by USPS; shirts are printed by my print partner and ship separately, a little later than the rest, so an order with a shirt in it arrives as two parcels. Tracking is on your order page and in the shipped email. The book ships outside the US at the carrier's quoted rate; any duties or import taxes at your border are yours. A parcel the carrier marks delivered that you can't find: check with neighbors and your carrier first, then use the order page form and I'll take it up with USPS.

PDFs and downloads. Field guide links arrive by email the moment the order goes through and stay on your order page and account page. Because a download can't be returned, PDF orders aren't refunded. If a link fails, the order page form gets you a fresh one.

Cardnl auto-ship. Auto-ship charges and ships on the schedule you picked, $2 off each delivery. Pause it, change the schedule or stop it any time from your account page; a cancellation stops the next charge, it doesn't refund one that already went through.

Gift cards. Gift cards never expire and have no cash value.

Disclosures

Affiliate links. Some links to products are affiliate links, including links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. I only recommend products I use or would buy myself.

CARDNL. CARDNL Electrolytes, referenced in my book and on this site and available at cardnl.com, is a brand I own, so I have a financial interest in that product. No other manufacturer or brand named on this site is affiliated with me unless a page says so.

Trademarks. Product names and trademarks mentioned on this site belong to their owners and are used for identification only. Their use does not imply endorsement or affiliation.

Changes and contact

If this page changes in a way that matters, I will update the date below and note it on the site. Questions go through the contact form.

Last updated October 2026.