You have spent a considerable amount of money on hardwood flooring.  You have added value to your home.  Protect your investment by caring for your flooring properly.  The first thing you should understand about caring for your new floor is that you are not actually cleaning wood.  The wood is beneath  a protective layer of polyurethane.  You are actually cleaning the polyurethane.  It is important to keep this protective coating in good condition to protect the wood. 

 NEVER USE WAX OR OIL PRODUCTS

You do not need to add products to your floor to add a shine.  The polyurethane has a shine or luster when cleaned properly.  Adding a waxy or oily product may look good initially, but it leaves a film on the floor that builds up with each layer applied.  If there is not enough polyurethane on the floor to give it a shine or luster, have the floor recoated or refinished.

REMOVE DUST AND DEBRIS

Use a soft broom or vacuum to remove debris from the floor on a regular basis. Debris can be carried into homes in shoe treads.  Small stones, chips of concrete and dirt will scratch the finish on hardwood floors.  Using a devise that pushes the debris across the floor can leave surface scratches that dull the finish.  If you use a broom, it should have soft tips to avoid scratching the finish.  A light weight vacuum is the best way to get debris off the floor.  The attachment should have a soft brush or felt on the bottom.

CLEANING HARDWOOD FLOORS - never use steam floor machines!   

We recommend following the recommendations of the manufacturers of the polyurethane finishes we use.  We use Bona Kemi Waterbourne finishes and Lenmar oil based polyurethane.  Bona manufacters a floor cleaning system which is available in hardware stores, online and at Sears.  If you do purchase a cleaning product, make sure it is designed strictly for use on polyurethane finishes. It should contain no harsh chemicals or leave any type of dulling residue. Some cleaning products are packaged as a concentrate so read and follow all directions carefully. Never flood the floor with water, but only do a light damp mopping. Lenmar recommends spot cleaning when necessary. When the entire floor needs to be cleaned, use a very gentle detergent, like a small amount of a gentle dishwashing detergent in a bucket of clean water.  Use a sponge mop, not a string mop.  It should be squeezed out thoroughly to get out excessive water. Clean, rinse and dry the floor. If you have a ceiling fan, use it.  If not, take a towel and dry the floor.  You can attach it to the bottom of a Swiffer.  Personnally, I use Minwax Hardwood Floor Cleaner which does not require rinsing.