Standing water on your lawn can invite many problems, from mosquitoes and rodents to mold and algae growth, but you can get rid of it using a manual or powered dethatching tool.

Dethatching removes excess thatch — compacted dead grass and debris on top of the soil, woven into the grass — allowing more air, nutrients, and water to penetrate the soil.

If you dig up a small section of the grass and there's more than ½ an inch of thatch, you'll likely need to use your dethatching tool, which can be manual or powered.

The curved blades

of a manual dethatching rake allow you to scoop up the gunk as you move it across the surface. This method is more tedious but also more affordable.

You might also go for a corded dethatcher that will reduce this method's manual work, with its spinning tines doing most of the work for you.

For larger areas that need treatment, consider a power rake, available at a local tool rental company, which works like a lawn mower with its steel tines pulling up

the material.