Birkenstocks fit true to size on most customers. Your feet should be able to move freely without your toes hitting the edge of the footbed. The Birkenstock shoebox features a handy foot measuring template.
Birkenstocks come in two widths, a narrow width and a normal width. In general we carry the narrow width for sizes 40 and below (sorted as women's sandals in our web store), and the normal width for 40 and up (sorted as men's).
Invest a little time to care for your leather shoes every now and again, and you will be rewarded with shoes that last longer and look great.
How often you need to treat your shoes varies greatly depending on usage, weather and the terrain you're in. But when you feel it's time for a little care, we recommend to follow these easy steps:
Clean
Light cleaning: Use warm water and soft bristle brush to remove stuck-on dirt. Then use a clean, dry cloth to wipe away any remaining excess dirt and moisture.
Deep cleaning: For heavily soiled areas, use a good leather cleaner. Wipe the cleaner away with a damp cloth and allow the leather to dry.
Cleaning salt stains: For salt stained leather, we recommend using Saphir's Winter Stain Remover. And afterwards protecting your shoes with Saphir's Super Invulner Spray to protect them from further stains.
Condition
Apply a high quality shoe cream, like Saphir’s creme 1925, with a clean, soft cloth. Shine the shoe by brushing with a soft horse-hair brush. This will give much needed moisture to the leather, while giving protection against the elements and added shine.
When using a new product for the first time, we recommend testing shoe creams and conditioners on an inconspicuous part of the shoe before applying it the the rest of the shoe.
Protect
Add extra protection to preserve your footwear. Saphir's Super Invulner spray waterproofs the most delicate leathers, and offers superior protection against water, snow, stains and grease.
General every-day care recommendations
A non-varnished cedar shoe tree will absorb any dampness from your shoes, keep their shape and increase their lifetime.
In snowy and slushy weather, clean your shoes with a wet cloth when you come home to avoid white salt marks to appear and drying out the leather.
If your leather-soled shoes become wet, leave them to dry on their sides to allow the water to run off more easily.
In addition, to increase the lifetime of your shoes, we recommend alternating shoes, instead of wearing the same pair several days running.