You are absolutely right! I did wear them during winter days on couple occasions (unfortunately) when streets are routinely flooded with salt to melt off the snow/ice so it makes complete sense. I do have Cedar shoe trees for all my shoes but these on the picture I never sprayed with anything, or polished because of the unusual type of the leather they are made off. It is very very soft and in the inside it feels as though you are wearing sneakers, not a dress shoe. Most shoes when I hit them with a finger you can hear a sound, but when I hit these it produces same sound as if I would hit my own flesh, almost nothing. Also the color, it is not black or brown and I am terrified of them forming dark stains if I would use some sort of polish oil on them or wax or impregnation spray. I've read about white vinegar to remove those salt stains, but will it bite through the leather itself since it is basically an acetic acid? One cobbler I took them to said that nothing can be done, but naturally not everyone has the same level of expertise..Can you give me some advice on those tonics, salt stain removers etc. that I should ask a cobbler if he has them? They are so delicate that I almost regret buying them..