HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BIRKENSTOCKS
Even the really dirty ones
Despite hating how the inside of my Birkenstock ‘Arizonas’ looked, it had still never crossed my mind to clean them! Until I saw an email pop into my inbox from Schuh with some handy tips, so I thought I’d give it a go.
1. THE BICARBONATE OF SODA TECHNIQUE
Mix 2 parts bicarbonate of soda with 1 part water to create a paste. Brush the excess dirt off using a suede brush, then use a brush (an old toothbrush will do) to rub the paste into the sandal avoiding the cork part.
Wipe with a damp sponge (try not to soak), dry with a cloth then set aside to dry away from direct sunlight.
When dry, brush them once more with the suede brush.
The result? A slightly cleaner Birkenstock. It wasn’t going to win any awards but at least I got rid of some germs.
To say I was underwhelmed was an understatement but it did remind me that I never really take time to look after, clean, brush and repair shoes and it was really therapeutic.
2. THE SANDPAPER TECHNIQUE
After posting my results on TikTok, a few people suggested the ‘sandpaper’ technique, as recommended in the New York Times – it’s more of a dry method and I tried it on my previously cleaned sandals, which came out wonderfully – the type of results I was expecting the first time. But in case my test was defunct (as I had previously cleaned mine), I decided to test this method on possibly the dirtiest Birkenstocks I have come across: Chris’s.
The technique is basically to sand them (we used 180 grit paper) until the top layer rubs away (you might lose the Birkenstock logo). If there is dried crust (!) you can use a flat head screwdriver to scrape first.
I then cleaned the straps with a damp cloth and polished some beeswax into the leather (I used some Burt’s Bees baby ointment we had from the kids). They looked surprisingly good and I even glued a bit of the sole back down (although a cobbler would be a better option for this).
Chris’s Birkenstocks (left is after, obviously!) Mine after being cleaned with sandpaper
I have also seen Hannah Rochell repainting her buckles using Hammerite paint.
Bringing life back to these sandals (ones which we get a LOT of use out of) brought back so much joy and encouraged me to sit and relax for a while. It kind of wasn’t about the end result but the fun of the mend. And I hope to do more of it.
