A silver tea set is expensive to buy and even more costly if it is actually an antique tea set. It can also often be a centerpiece, something that is on display. For these reasons it is important to properly care for your silver tea set.
Silver tends to tarnish fairly quickly and some consider it to be a nuisance to have to care for it. I think that a properly cared for and maintained silver tea set and tea accessories are well worth owning. It actually does not take that much care to keep the set in good shape providing you care for it on a regular basis. Problems, such as a lot of tarnishing of the silver, occur when you put your tea set away and forget about it. For that reason alone it is often a good idea to have your tea set prominently placed so that all, including you, can see it. You will be constantly reminded to give it a quick polish if it is in plain view.
If you polish your silverware regularly with a soft cloth you will most likely find that it does not tarnish at all. If it does become slightly tarnished it is a good idea to clean it right away, before the problem spreads. Keep some silver polish on hand with your other cleaning supplies so that it is readily accessible.
If tarnish appears, spread some silver polish on a soft, non abrasive cloth, and gently apply it to the tarnished area. Once you have sufficiently covered the area that needs cleaning dampen your cloth with a little water and rub the silver polish into the silver pieces. You may have to apply a little pressure to get it to soak in, which is another good reason why it is best to tackle polishing your silver before it becomes too tarnished. When you have rubbed all the polish in and your silver pieces are shining, rinse them off with warm water and then dry them off with a soft drying cloth. It is important to note that you should only use soft cloths and silver polish or water when cleaning your tea set. Hard abrasives will scratch the silver and permanently damage your silver tea set. If one polishing does not get rid of all of the tarnish you may need to do it again—just keep polishing until it is bright and shining.