A demonstration of how to remove staples in upholstered furniture when recovering the piece. You will need a rawhide or wood mallet, staple remover, and dikes (or pliers). To remove staples, you place the staple remover underneath the staple edge. If the furniture is made of hard wood, then tap the back of the staple remover with the wood mallet until the staple remover gets under the edge of the staple. If the furniture is made of soft wood, you may be able to get the staple remover underneath the staple’s edge without using the mallet. Once the staple remover is under the edge of the staple, then use a twisting motion to pop the staple out of the wood. Finish the job by using dikes or pliers to pull the staples out of the wood. Remember to sweep the floor afterward, as removing staples makes a mess and the staples are sharp. You an reduce the cleanup time by using a large magnetic pin bowl and putting the removed staples in the bowl as you work. Using the magnetic pin bowl also helps eliminate staples hiding on the floor, waiting to embed themselves in shoes and feet or accidentally catching on fabrics as you move them to the worktable.