We have a second hand steam cleaner. The last year of Dakota’s life we used it 2 or 3 times a week. Haven’t had to use it since she died in January. I used to rent a Rug Doctor once a year or so. And no, I do not / did not think about “other people’s germs” when I used to rent. That is just silly. I only have one room of wall to wall carpeting left, and an upstairs hallway. Everything else is hardwood or laminate. We have laminate “wood” flooring in the living room. At Lowes we bought a 9 X 14 rug that we put down. It’s a couple of feel shy, all the way around, of looking like wall to wall. It was only $80. Cheap enough that we can replace it fairly painlessly when we need to. And no. I would not worry about the germs that other customers at Lowes might leave on the carpet before I buy it, either.