When the highways department deposits a goodly load of gravel, crushed stones or sand on your lawn during the winter (the result of treatments to a nearby icy road to make it less slippery), the best tool to pick the mess is not the traditional lawn rake, but a wet/dry vacuum (sometimes called a workshop vacuum or shop vac).

As soon as the snow has melted and the ground is no longer soggy (and certainly before the grass starts to turn green), put the vacuum cleaner in dry suction mode and off you go. It will pick up all the litter—even the gravel—in an instant!

The neighbors may think you’re nuts, but it works perfectly! You’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll go from smirking to doing the same thing.