How to Remove Carpet From Your Floors

The first thing you need to do is cut the carpet by sections using a sharp utility knife.
Pull the carpet up carefully by the center of your cut so you wont get poked by the tackless strips.
Roll up the piece of carpet and tie it off. Do this for each piece that you section off until all carpet is removed.
Remove the padding under the carpet the same way as you just did with the carpet.

Next, Remove the tackless with a hammer and a screwdriver or a putty knife and pull up each piece being careful not to cut yourself on the tackless. Place the screwdriver or putty knife under the tackless strip, take the hammer and tap the handle part of the screwdriver or putty knife until the tackless strip comes loose enough to pull it up. (you may want to use some heavy duty gloves to pull up the strips).

Now, Go back over your floor and remove any nails or staples still in the floor from the tackless and the padding with the hammer. After you have removed all staples and nail, sweep the floor thoroughly with a broom. If some of the padding is hard to remove with your hands and is sticking to your floor, take a putty knife and gently scrape it off; try not to damage the hardwood floor underneath.