This guide describes how to clean the footbed of Birkenstock sandals. Birkenstocks are made of leather and cork, and need to be maintained in a specific way to keep your shoes looking and feeling good.This instruction set can be helpful for Birkenstock owners that want to keep their shoes clean without wasting too much time in the process. Cleaning should take around an hour and then the shoes will dry overnight, so you will be back to strolling around in your sandals in no time! First, I will walk you through the cleaning process, but additional tips about polishing the leather straps are included at the end.

Step 1: Obtain Materials

First, collect all the items necessary for cleaning. These include:

Your Birkenstock
An old toothbrush
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp water
Cup and spoon for mixing
Cloth rag

The materials required for polishing the straps include:

Leather cleaner, I recommend the brand Leather Honey, found at this link
Water
Cup and spoon for mixing
Cloth

After you have gathered these items you are ready to begin.

Step 2: Prepping

Next, prep your sandals by dampening the cloth and wiping off the excess dirt from the footbed. Unstrap sandals. Use circular motions and try not to use an excess amount of water. The footbed will get very dark, as seen in the picture above.

Step 3: Form Paste

After your Birkenstocks are damp, mix the tablespoons of baking soda and water to make a cleaning paste. Combine 2 tbsp of baking soda and 1 tbsp of water in a small cup. Mix until a paste forms. The paste should be similar to a glue consistency.

Step 4: Cleaning

Now, use the old toothbrush to apply the paste to the footbed of your sandal. The white paste may turn brown, but that just means it’s working! Again, use circular motions with your toothbrush to work the paste into the shoe. You will have some of your paste left over, but this can be reused for future cleanings.

Step 5: Remove Excess Paste

Grab your cloth and re-wet again if necessary. Use the damp cloth to wipe off the baking soda paste.

Step 6: Drying

Once the paste is removed, place your Birkenstocks in a dry, dark place to let them fully dry. Avoid placing them in direct sunlight because that may cause your sandals to crack. Allow them to sit overnight before wearing them again. Once fully dry, you are ready to put them back on.

Step 7: Optional Additional Cleaning

As an optional final step, leather cleaner can be applied to the straps on your sandals in order to get them to really shine. This is a great way to do a full restoration on your shoes. The leather on top of your shoes get exposed to lots of sunlight and dust, and are at risk of drying out. The leather cleaner helps to moisturize, seal, and protect your straps.

Step 8: Leather Cleaner Materials

After materials are collected, you will need to mix the leather cleaner with water if using the Leather Honey found in the link. This is a concentrated leather cleaner, so you will need to dilute it.For my straps, I used ½ tbsp of leather cleaner and 4 ½ tbsp of water to make a small amount of cleaner.

Step 9: Apply Leather Cleaner

Now, apply a dime-sized amount of leather cleaner mixture onto your dry cloth. Use circular motions to moisturize the leather on your sandals. Continue to rub until you notice a shine on the straps. Be careful not to oversaturate the leather. You will have some of your cleaner mixture left over. This can be kept for the next cleaning session.