Hardwood or engineered hardwood for steps??

You can remove the carpet and refinish the stairs. Even if they may be construction grade lumber.

What other Hometalkers did.

https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=stair%20makeover

If you have regular treads I would just clean off all remnants of carpet, stain and seal. I love the look of wood and wooden steps are much easier to clean than carpet.

Engineered flooring is a little cheaper than the hardwood, but will stand up to a lot of wear if you purchase a decent quality.

Will you have to be concerned with children or mobility limited persons tripping and falling on bare steps? Engineered hardwood , unlike the real thing, can only be sanded once.

Consider noise factor on bare steps, and potential for gouges from dirty shoes, etc.

The Floor Lady has a fairly strong but still fair opinion on your question:

https://www.theflooringlady.com/5-reasons-install-laminate-flooring-stairs/

Since it's 22 years old, there's no "antique" charm that you might want to preserve. It also has a good drawing card if you ever decide to sell.

The only questions might be do you have pets whise claws might scratch or do you have small ones who might spill?

Kids are over 40 & have their own homes. Live out of state.

Only have a (son) small 5yr dog no nails just fat soft paws.