In recent years, environmental issues have gained special significance due to rising awareness among population as well as due to degrading quality of our natural resources. The debris that has been created due to effluents, containing heavy metals, released from certain factories and industries needs to be minimised. Concentration of various contaminants like cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, etc. has been found to be way above the safe limits in soil and water samples of various regions. Heavy metals have been found to have far reaching effects on human health. Thus, we need to be well aware of how to go about averting this crisis. This paper reviews the various methods that are currently being employed in reducing and preventing heavy metal pollution in soil and water. It also includes the various advantages and disadvantages of the methods used, thus emphasising each process in brief.