Cleaning and protecting your Birkenstock sandals
Introduction to Birkenstock care
A must-have summer sandal, Birkenstocks go with everything you wear. They don't leave your feet all summer and should be worn at all times.
We'll teach you how to clean them and prevent unpleasant odours from appearing. You won't need baking soda, a damp brush or a damp cloth to clean Birkenstock sandals.
The only requirement for cleaning is that the sandals are slightly damp.
All products work on all Birkenstock sandals and other footwear models. Each product can be applied with a chamois or the brush included in the kit.
Prepare your Birkenstocks
Before you start cleaning, there are a few things you need to do to get the best results. First, open the straps of your Birkenstock sandals. This will give you full access to all parts for cleaning.
Secondly, remove dust and surface dirt with a scraper. Brush the entire sandal, the straps and the inside of the sole. This step prepares the leather or suede for cleaning products.
If your sandals are suede, some areas may be blackened. It is the suede that has become soiled over time and through rubbing. This usually appears around the eyelets. It may therefore be necessary to polish the suede.
To do this, use a brass or crepe brush and gently brush the area. Under the action of the brush, it will lighten and even turn white. This is normal and will return to its original colour when you clean it.
Cleaning leather birkenstocks
You can apply our leather care kit products to dusted leather. We recommend that you use the essential care kit. Our advice applies to smooth and grained leather. If your Birkenstocks are made of oily leather, we recommend that you take a dedicated lesson.
There is no drying time between steps. You can do them one after the other without risk of damaging your sandals. We recommend that you clean them on average once a month if you wear them regularly in summer.
Take your Monsieur Chaussure chamois cloth and apply a dab of cleansing milk.
Rub in circular movements over the inside and outside of the straps. You can apply several coats of cleaner to remove all the old layers of shoe polish and dirt.
Using a chamois or badger brush, apply a cream shoe polish. Work the cream into the leather in circles. Cream polish can be colourless or coloured as you wish. Cream polishes are designed to nourish the leather and recolour it to reduce the effects of walking on it.
Apply the polishing paste using a chamois or a palot brush. Shoe polish paste adapts to all the colours of your sandals and intensifies the shades. To intensify the colour of the straps, you can choose a shoe polish paste of the same colour.
Polish the polishing paste with a polishing brush. When the polishing brush is activated, the properties of the polishing paste are activated. The flanges will become increasingly shiny. They will be protected from the elements.
How to care for suede Birkenstocks
For suede Birkenstocks, we recommend the complete suede shoe care kit. You can top it off with a coloured renovation spray. The spray will recolour your sandals and bring the colour back into harmony. We recommend that you care for them at least once a month.
Spray the cleaning spray all over the sandals, including the insole. The suede will darken on contact with the cleaner.
Brush with Monsieur Chaussure's boar bristle scraper. Brush briskly over the straps on the inside and outside. You can also clean the insole.
You can continue on the inside of the footbed by rubbing to shampoo. This movement removes the dirt in depth.
You don't need to run your sandals under water or get them completely wet to shampoo them.
Monsieur Chaussure suede cleaning spray does not require rinsing or drying time. So you can follow the steps one after the other.
This step is optional: it's called renovation. It can be done occasionally depending on the condition of the shoe. However, we do not recommend applying the renovation spray to the inside of your shoes. There is a risk of colour transfer to your skin.
Spray the renovating spray 30 cm from the straps, protecting the work surface. After spraying the recolouring product, scrub with the brass brush to restore the peach-skin look.
Waterproof your sandals with Monsieur Chaussure waterproofing product. Leave to dry for 30 minutes to 24 hours at room temperature. Wait until your shoes are completely dry before wearing them. It is not advisable to dry them next to a source of heat such as a radiator.
Your sandals will look as good as new and can follow you on your new adventures.