You might research your spike shoes before using them too much as they may be contributing to compaction rather than aerating. In a horticulture class I took the instructor said that using solid tines to aerate would actually do the opposite since the wall of the holes produced were compacted rather than sliced. Most legit aeration is done with slit or hollow tines.
Here is a short article that goes over types of tines, and some different ways to go about it other than renting the machines.
Another idea that comes to mind, that I saw a lot of in Portland, is actually seeding 'weeds' at such a volume throughout the lawn that it creates a homogenized look like a traditional grass only lawn, but is a poly culture mix of a few things. This seems odd at first, but can result in healthier grass that requires less inputs of water and fertilizer. For example my lawn is a tragedy in traditional standards but it is completely green and lush, while all my neighbors lawns are still brown, and I literally would never spray water on it for any reason.
No matter what you end up doing I applaud you thinking this out rather than just spraying herbicide because it is easy and commonly done.
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