A C & T Hardwood Floors

Use floor protectors (preferably felt) on all furniture, especially pieces that move and replace them when necessary.
     This is key to keeping floors from getting scratched from sliding furniture around. Damage can happen almost instantly without any flooring protection and cause premature wearing of the floors.
 

Resist wet-mopping, damp-mopping and especially STEAMING.
     Wet mopping is not recommended to clean a hardwood floor. It is not necessary in daily/weekly cleaning but if needed, a light mist and wipe will be sufficient in cleaning a floor. This should only be done once every few weeks or so. Dry mopping would be your best line of defense to keeping a floor clean and protecting it from wearing prematurely. Additionally, steam mopping will cause the wood to rapidly expand and retract. Where the finish cannot keep up, it can de-laminate where the finish adhesion is weak or mimic many years of wear much sooner. The trick is to use as little water as possible.

Do not use oils/oil soaps (e.g. Murphy's oil soap, linseed oil, tung oil), wax or silicon based products to clean floors.
     Products that leave a residue or alters the finish of the finish coat on a newly installed or newly finished hardwood floor can  be detrimental to a floor. It works its product into a finish giving you a newer looking floor temporarily. The underlying problem here is that if you need to coat your floors (with the appropriate product) for a new looking finish, these products can cause de-lamination (peeling) of the newly applied product.

Stay away from harsh cleaning aids such as steel wool pads, any scouring pads containing metal or scouring powders.
     Use of scrubbing powders, steel wool and even the almighty MAGIC ERASER will scratch your finish. These cleaning aids leave scratches that can range from large visible lines to a haze, leaving you with an inconsistent finish.

Do not use cleaners that contain acrylics or urethane polish to restore gloss.
     This, just like using oil soaps will give you a temporary fix and usually very difficult to achieve an even finish. Again, just like the oil soaps, if a re-coating is necessary, adhesion between the two coats will be obstructed by these products.

Recoat floors before finish is worn down to wood or stain.
     This cannot be empathized enough. A finish that is worn but not down to the stain or raw  wood yet, can be coated with the same finish to look almost brand new and protect the floor for years to come.

Beware of any spills on hardwood floors and clean promptly.  Also keep an eye out for overfilling and spills when watering plants.
     Water/Moisture is the leading cause of most discoloring and warping boards. Keep an eye out for spills and try not to let them sit, thus causing the water to work its way into the finish or past the seams of the boards.  Plants that get watered should always be monitored for leaks and should have trays as protection as well.

Avoid placing area rugs down after a newly finished floor for at least two months.  UV rays will slightly change floor color.  Majority (not all) of the changes will happen in the first two months.
     There is only so much we can do to protect against the suns ultraviolet rays. With this said, one suggestion is to let the sun do what it must to the floors prior to covering it with an area rug. By doing this, you let the color change happen as much as possible prior and then putting down a rug, essentially protecting the finish from further changes. The only downside to this is that the rest of your floors will still undergo some changes, not as much as the initial change but can vary greatly depending on how much direct light you get.