Stairs

The stairs in our house looked awful, when we moved in. Unfortunately I don't have the 'before' photos with me now, because I didn't bring my camera or my laptop with me to Finland. I only have the photos where I've already started sanding the stairs.

First I had to remove all the sticky and dirty glue, the previous tenants had apparently had some kind of stair carpet glued to the steps. But I hate fitted carpet, so it wasn't an option for us to go with the same solution as the previous tenants had done.

I made a silly deal with my fiancé: if he pays for the equipment and materials, I'll do all the work! Not a clever deal at all! Sanding the stairs is such hard work and the dust is all over the place. I guess it would be a lot easier to use some kind of paint remover, but is there such paint removers, that are not total poison? I'm very sensitive to all kinds of smells, and hate the idea of having to use crazy poisonous paint removers. I can't even wear parfume without getting a head ache. 

If you have good tips for my staircase project, please leave me a comment! Any help is welcome!