Shoe Care

While no footwear lasts a lifetime, with proper care and periodic repair. Our footwear can provide years of comfort. Here are some tips to keep your footwear looking good for years to come.

Avoid Extreme Heat

If your footwear has cork footbeds or EVA soles, they can be damaged by exposure to concentrated heat. Do not leave your footwear in direct sunlight or in closed cars on warm days. Keep this footwear away from campfires, fireplaces, and indoor radiators. If your footwear becomes wet, allow it to air dry slowly, away from direct heat.

Cleaning Uppers

Nubuck/Suede: Keep uppers looking fresh with our Birkenstock Nubuck & Suede Kit. Use Birkenstock Leather Lotion to remove stubborn spots. (The nubuck block is not recommended for embossed nubuck as it may remove the embossed appearance.) Our Suede & Nubuck Renew product can be used to revitalize and enhance the color of your suede and nubuck footwear.

Leather: Clean and condition smooth leather with Birkenstock Leather Cleaner. Use matching polish to renew scuffed leather.

Embossed Leather: Use a leather balm to clean and polish the leather. To refresh the color, use a shoe cream.

Birko-Flor™: Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Try Birkenstock Leather Cleaner to remove stubborn stains.

Protecting Uppers

Use Birkenstock Leather Protector to protect your leather, suede, and nubuck from water, stains, and dirt. It also protects natural fabrics (linen, wool, etc.) and synthetic materials (Birko-Flor, etc.).

Cleaning The Footbed

Use Birkenstock Footbed Cleaner (available only in the Birkenstock Deluxe Shoe Care Kit) to prolong the life of your footwear. This special formula penetrates the footbed to remove odors, dirt, oils, and perspiration. Please note: although we buy only the highest quality leather and test it for colorfastness, dyed leathers will sometimes shed their color. Please be very careful with delicate or light colored socks, especially when your footwear is new! You can also use Birkenstock Leather Protector to minimize dark leather footbed liners from shedding their color.

Repair Tips

With proper care, your footwear can provide years of comfort. Repairing instead of replacing your footwear saves money and is good for the environment. Footwear you repair reduces (or at least postpones) the contribution to the landfill.

The Following is just a sampling of the ways you can renew your footwear:

• Add heel or toe taps to extend the wear of your soles.
• Replace buckles and rivets.
• Replace the footbeds in hand-stitched clogs and trekking sandals.
• Sandals with leather soles can be resoled.