About this site
About How To Guides
How To Guides is a library of clear, step-by-step instructions for everyday jobs in the UK — at home, in the garden, with your money and paperwork, on the road and beyond.
What you’ll find in every guide
- At a glance: how long the job takes, how hard it is and roughly what it costs.
- What you’ll need before you start, and numbered steps you can jump between or print.
- Safety warnings where they matter, and when to call a professional — and which kind.
- Sources and a checked date, so you can see where the facts come from and how recent they are.
How the guides are researched
Each guide is written in our own words from reliable sources — manufacturers’ instructions and official and expert bodies such as GOV.UK, the NHS, the Health and Safety Executive, Electrical Safety First, the Gas Safe Register, the RHS and Citizens Advice. The sources are listed at the end of every guide, with the date it was last checked. If we can’t confirm something, we leave it out.
What we don’t do
The guides are general information only. We don’t give personal advice, and some jobs aren’t DIY jobs: for gas, electrics beyond simple tasks, structural work, medical questions, legal matters or money decisions, use a qualified professional. Each guide says when that applies.
Who runs it
How To Guides is owned by Steven Smith. The site is independent and is paid for by affiliate links — see our affiliate disclosure.
Found a mistake?
Use the “Report a problem” form at the bottom of any guide, or email us. We check every report against the sources and update the guide and its checked date when something needs fixing. If there’s a job you’d like explained, suggest a guide.