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I have inherited my grandmothers Sterling and would like to know how to care for it, especially how to clean the tarnish off.

Silver Flatware that is not too tarnished can be cleaned with Silver Foam. This is a product that is applied & simply washed off.  You can also just use silver polish which will take a little more labor..  
If you are cleaning silver hollow ware you may use the above products if the silver is not too tarnished.  But we also have a silver spray that can just be wiped off.  If you have a lot of decoration that you want to clean, a soft horse hair brush can be used.  Please remember that the dark inside of your "repouss�" type pieces is desirable.  It shows off the pattern.
 If your silverware is extremely tarnished, we have a product called Hagerty 100.
Hagerty 100 will handle your toughest polishing jobs for  all metals.  It quickly and easily removes years of tarnish, dirt, corrosion, grease, lime and water  stains.  It protects metals with 3 tarnish and corrosion inhibitors . 
 

 Below is a link to our page of Hagerty products for cleaning & storing your silverware.
OUR HAGERTY STORE

Here are more INSTRUCTIONS FOR Washing STERLING SILVER FLATWARE
From Michigan State University Extension  Home Maintenance and Repair - 01500345  10/01/92
                                                           Cleaning Silver Flatware.

 Wash in warm sudsy water. Rinse well and dry Do not let hollow handled silverware or hollow ware stand in water as a combination of heat, water, and detergent may loosen soldering.

Washing in a Dishwasher
Silverware may be washed in the dishwasher but the patina on fine silver is enhanced by the rubbing that occurs when washing and drying by hand. Hollow handles may be loosened with exposure to heat and detergent in the dishwasher.
 (Note from the Silver Queen The newer silverware is being made with glue that will withstand the heat . Also when you use your dishwasher,do not economy dry. Use only your hotdry.)

Electrolytic methods of cleaning with aluminum-salt- soda are not recommended for cleaning silver with an oxidized or French gray finish.

 If washing both silverware and stainless steel flatware in the dishwasher, do not put in the same basket section or let one metal touch the other, or the silver may be permanently damaged.

 New sterling silverware sometimes gets brown spots after washing in the dishwasher. Sterling is 92 1/2% silver and 7 1/2% other alloys including copper for greater durability. In automatic dishwashing, a reaction can occur between water droplets and the small portion of copper at the surface to cause brown spots on some pieces. After the silverware has been washed several times, the copper on the surface is gone and the surface is pure silver. Avoid such spotting on new silverware by washing and drying new silverware by hand for the first If you want to use the dishwasher, follow these precautions: Use the automatic rinse dispenser feature of a dishwasher. The rinse agent lowers the surface tension of the rinse water so it sheets off the surfaces and droplets don't form. Or use a rinse agent in solid form that hangs on the dishwasher rack, if your dishwasher does not have an automatic rinse dispenser.
Remove new silverware from the dishwasher immediately after the last rinse cycle and towel dry for the first few times.

This information is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. This information becomes public property upon publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU Extension.