I have a smaller lawn, in a slightly shady area and have been having problems with dandelion and white clover. I don’t mind a few weeds, but it is getting to be too many. Children and pets play on this lawn so I don’t want to put anything that would be toxic to them on the lawn. What would you suggest I do?
Given that you are concerned for your children and pets, it makes sense to hand-weed your lawn. A little pocket knife is a great tool for doing this quickly and tidily. If you just spend a little bit of time at it a few days a week, it will go faster than you might imagine. Try to live with the clover; it is extremely difficult to eradicate, and it is great for honeybees.
Small dandelions are easier to pull out. The City of Seattle has excellent information about caring for lawns without pesticides, including hints about controlling dandelions. Look in the right-hand menu for additional links to lawn care information.
This article on Dealing with Dandelions from the Journal of Pesticide Reform (Fall 2001) describes several types of dandelion weeding tools.