Hi Tina
Haveing 7 labs in my house I wanted a good steam carpet cleaner. I really do like my Hoover steam vac( with hot water dispense & rinse)with spin brush and attachements. It does a very good job. But I have to say if you want to spend the extra money you can buy one like you rent a Lowes/Home depot and some stores now. That has great suction power and cleans really well.
I have the Hoover Steamvac Jr for spot cleaning of the little messes. As far as carpet cleaning, I have a professional do my floors every 3 months. He's been doing my carpets for over 10yrs now. I get a great deal (about $140 for the entire house) and I don't have to do any work. Oh, and the carpet dries faster since it's commercial cleaning. He's in and out of my house in just over an hour. My carpet looks like new all the time.