You can use about anything to pry them from the hips. I often use a small pair of curved scissors as I find it more versatile to hold one tool I can cut, scrape and pry with. I have a friend who uses a nut pick, the pick which comes with a nutcracker in a set. I've used the point of a paring knife, small screw driver, and probably other things, but I like my small, curved scissors best.

I don't bother cleaning the seed in Clorox unless there is much mushy pulp still attached. For large batches of the same cross, you can also dump them in the blender, shake in some Comet to help sterilize them, and hit liquefy. Let it run until all the pulp is ground small enough to be flushed through a regular kitchen strainer. Rinse well under running water and let air dry on a paper towel before storing until planting. Not a method that efficient for a small number of hips or very small ones, but it makes quick work for a large batch of larger hips. Some seeds will be chopped up, but most often those look to be empty anyway.

One word of caution, no matter what method you favor...the fibers in the hips are VERY irritating. I guaranty your nose or face will itch when handling them. DON'T put your hands to any part of your body until you wash them thoroughly. It's like getting fiberglass or itching powder on you! A good shower will take care of it, but it's irritating enough to take precautions against. Have fun! Kim