Mending series

Part 2: revamping Birkenstocks

I recently bought my first pair of Birkenstocks from Vinted for an absolute bargain price of £12. I’ve wanted to try them for years, but I was reluctant to pay full price in case they gave me blisters or my foot constantly fell out of the sliders-style sandal. I love a brand that can be refurbished and rebuilt though, which is what attracted me to them in the first place. A quick search on Instagram or Pinterest, shows dozens of videos and how-to guides on how to clean, repair, and professionally rebuild a pair of Birkenstocks. The idea of buying a pair of shoes and being able to keep them going for years really appeals to me, it’s the basis of building a sustainable wardrobe in my opinion. Buy well, buy once.

You can see from the screenshots above (taken from the Vinted listing), the original condition was fine. The main thing I look for when buying second hand shoes, is how well worn are the soles. If the sole has worn down into the layer above, they can be difficult and expensive to repair. If the wear to the sole is contained within the sole itself, then for the most part the sole can be removed and replaced. I googled this, to make sure this was true for Birkenstocks (some soles can’t be easily replaced in my experience), and found a wealth of resources reassuring me that sole replacement was standard in a pair of Birks. The soles above look mildly worn across the ball of the foot, but from the side photos (not included in this post!) I could see there was still a decent amount of depth to the sole all the way around the shoe.

The second part I eyeballed in detail, was the condition of the leather straps. If the leather is fraying, or worn thin, then that might entail getting a whole strap replaced anew. This can definitely be expensive, since it can involve removing the insole to glue the strap to the under layer. The leather straps seemed in reasonably good condition on these Birks, the colour was bright and unmarked and the edges still pretty sharp.

I was less concerned about the marks to the leather insole, I know that’s a sign of a worn Birkenstock (Birkenstock ‘seasoning’ is apparently the term, which gives me the minor boke tbh). I looked at a few resources that described using a wire brush or sandpaper to remove the marks to the leather, but that would involve removing a layer of the leather insole and I wasn’t prepared to do that damage to them. I’m not too worried about this ‘seasoning’, though I know it would put off others so no judgement if you don’t feel the same! I found a great video describing how to clean your Birkenstock insole with a mix of water, dish soap and baking powder, so I used that method (see below). I gave them a good scrub with an old toothbrush, paying particular attention to the crevices where dirt could accumulate, and around the buckles.

Once I’d given them a good scrub, I rinsed in plain water and dried with a tea towel. I then applied some leather cleaner, left it to soak in, then rubbed the leather clean with a dry cloth. I then left them outside in the sun to dry for 24 hours, bringing them in at night to avoid them getting damp.

And this is the result! I’m pretty pleased with them, for all they don’t look significantly different to the original photos, they feel a lot cleaner in real life. The leather feels softer and more pliable, and there is a lot less dirt trapped in the crevices. I have a nice pair of second hand Teva walking sandals (also from Vinted) but I wanted something a bit more smart to wear to the pub or a café. Something comfortable but slightly more stylish.

I’m really happy with these Birkenstocks, I’ve yet to wear them over longer distances but they feel comfortable so far. I hope this post inspires you to try a second hand pair of shoes yourself. Recycling and sustainability win!