Hardwood has both advantages and disadvantages when compared with other flooring materials, such as carpeting or linoleum. Cleaning hardwood floors on a day-to-day basis is fairly simple, since stains don't soak in like they will on carpet and any mess can easily be swept up. But longer-term, there is more work to maintaining hardwood since it has to be waxed and polished, and possibly even refinished at some point.
There are various cleaning products for hardwood, and the one you should use will depend partly on how your floor is finished. If your hardwood is surface-sealed with polyurethane or polyacrylic, it is more resistant to stains and water damage which makes it easier to care for. If your floor is oil treated, lacquered, varnished or untreated, it is more likely to be damaged by water based cleaners so you'll need to protect it with liquid or paste wax.
When you're cleaning surface-sealed hardwood, don't use any kind of oil, wax or furniture sprays. Oil will leave a residue on the surface of the floor, furniture spray will make your floor slippery as an ice rink, and wax is time-consuming to apply and will make it difficult to refinish the floor if it ever needs it.
Plain soap and water works well for surface-sealed floors, as will any cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. There are several specialty hardwood cleaning products available for most flooring supply companies, and they can tell you which ones are best suited for you.
Vinegar and water solutions are also not the best way to clean hardwood, in spite of what you may have heard. Soap and water is more effective, plus some people have reported that vinegar has caused their floor to dull sooner.
For oil-treated, varnished or untreated hardwood, you should use stripper to remove old wax buildup before applying new wax. You can use either a liquid or a paste wax but each has benefits. Liquid wax is easier to apply but it leaves a thinner coat than paste wax so it won't protect the floor as well and will have to be reapplied sooner.
No matter what type of hardwood floor you have, remember that water and hardwood don't mix well. While surface-sealed hardwood is more resistant to water damage, it's not immune. Clean up any spills as quickly as possible and use a minimum amount of water when cleaning your floor.