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Just like hammer-ons and pull-offs, tapping is legato, and you want to mute unused strings. Normally we do that with the combination of the right palm on the thicker strings and draping left hand fingers over the thinner strings. Well, we still do that here, but the right hand palm may feel a bit awkward doing so since it is now near or over the fretboard and you have to use one of its fingers to hammer-on a note. They key is to use the finger muscles to get your finger to hammer-on the note, not your wrist. If you use your wrist you will bounce on the muted strings and cause them to make noise. Also, now you have to worry about pushing the strings down into the frets, so you need to make sure you regulate your palm's pressure. Use just enough to mute the strings and no more, and keep the pressure constant even as you tap and release notes.
Some people actually use the side of the pick to tap. I don't like this. It's a different sound than using a finger, so it can make the tapped note stand out a bit too much. Also, I find it's more difficult to use the right hand palm to mute - you can't simply use your finger muscles to perform the tap but must use the wrist. Finally, I found trying to use the pick would quickly put small notches into it; unless you completely turn it over before tapping, you are left with a crappy pick that has trouble sliding through the strings during a normal picking motion. But turning it over takes time in itself, which can interpret the flow of your playing.
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