If you have thought about changing your flooring and have decided on hardwood flooring then you have made a great choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Flooring that is hardwood is made using mature trees, it is then treated and finished. Maintaing hardwood floors can be difficult because they scratch easy and also absorb moisture.
Leaving a puddle of water in your hardwood floors would not be a great idea. The moisture will go into the cracks in between the slates and they will swell as they absorb the water. If this happens in even a little spot it will still be noticeable. If there happens to be any liquid at all spilt on the hardwood floor you need to clean it up immediately. Use a damp mop only when you clean your hardwood floors. You may want to use a floor cleaner for hardwood, like old floors usually. Whatever you choose you must use only a damp mop.
Another thing that can happen to hardwood floors are dents and scratches. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over a long perios of time furniture legs cause dents and scratches also. You can choose to put area rugs under the furniture to protect the floors or you can put felts on the bottoms of the furniture legs. This can be the same as new floors to many people. Also you could add some area rugs to the highly traveled areas in your home such as kitchens, hallways, in front of the couch.
Some homeowners like the character that scratches and dents give the floor. If you have a lot of dents and scratches then it is an option to have your hardwood floors refinished. You may need to have your hardwood floors refinished every ten years or so, this will also add a protective top coat to your hardwood floors, just like old floors usually. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.