Article: The classic example is a old tire or empty gardening pot. Items such as these can easily collect and hold small amounts of standing water. Discard tires properly or drill holes in them to allow water to drain. Stack and cover containers such as pots whenever they're not in use. Steps such as this are especially important to take late in the winter, preceding mosquito breeding season. Piles of raked leaves, grass, or other brush can collect small pools of standing water that you may not be able to see. They can also serve as hangouts for adult mosquitoes during the day. Dispose of these piles before they are able to do so. If you compost, be sure to turn your pile weekly at the very least. Irregularly used kiddie pools are especially likely candidates for standing water. That said, many different toys can collect small amounts of standing water that may be less apparent. Encourage and help your children put away their toys inside or in a covered area. Make sure to get the little things too: that shovel in the sandbox or that frisbee in the corner of the yard are both ideal for small deposits of standing water. Gutters can fill and clog quite quickly, and can readily collect standing water. While a gutter cover can help, you'll still need to check gutters regularly. Similarly, your downspouts and the drains or erosion-controlling troughs they pour into can get clogged as well. Check and clean your drains after any large leaf drops in the fall, and again at the end of winter. Standing water can collect in the areas of your yard that you keep watered, such as your garden. If ever you notice that a certain spot remains wet, it is likely collecting water above and below the surface. Add sand to the ground near the area to allow water to drain away from the spot. Alternatively, dig a shallow drainage trough from a frequently wet area of the garden to another lower part of the garden that dries out more quickly. If water collects in shallow parts of your yard, work to raise that area of the yard. The easiest way to do so is adding soil to the area to bring it up to grade with the surrounding ground level. Alternatively, you can dig a shallow ditch from the shallow part of your yard to an area the water will be able to drain. Tree stumps that haven't been fully removed can collect standing water that may not be readily apparent. Instead of allowing a stump to slowly decompose, continue chopping it until you can till it into the surrounding soil or remove it entirely.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Discard debris. Take care of collected yard waste. Have young people store their toys properly. Clean your gutters and drains. Drain your garden properly. Regrade your lawn if water pools in certain areas. Remove stumps.