The Bottom Line: i'm sticking with smooth leather. i'm an RN, worked 15 yrs doing hospital work, have worn the same white bostons for 13 of those years, resoled once. love them.

i have had a pair of taupe colored boston birkenstock clogs that i've had for many years. as with all birkenstock shoes i love them and will wear them forever, but the suede is a problem. i very much wish i'd chosen a much darker color. the light taupe color picks up not only dirt and things you normally step on, but when i cook, i have hard tile floors and it hurts my legs to stand on the tile for long periods of time, so i always wear my birkenstock shoes. these light taupe suede clogs catch ever speck of oil that pops out of a skillet. i have bought and used every cleaner i have found, even cleaners made for birkenstock shoes and there is nothing that takes out oil. i even put them over the sink and washed the suede with a soft brush with dish soap and water and that helped, but still didn't take the little spots off. so, i still wear them, they are just some i wear around the house. i've decided over time that smooth leather is very much more practical. even if you decide you don't like the tops of your birkenstocks, they are so comfortable you would never get rid of them, they truely become a part of your feet.