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> I can throw them in the washing machine if they get too dirty.

I bought my first pair of Birkenstocks in March and this is basically the issue I'm running into; with everyday wear, rain or shine, they get very funky very quickly and cleaning them is tedious and time-consuming.

The heel wore away quickly too and now the cork is rapidly disintegrating... I'm not too eager to buy another pair.

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You can take them to the shop and repair / replace the heel and cork. Cost-wise I think my Bostons were $150 new and to fully replace the cork and sole was about $90. Much cheaper than a new pair. Just the sole wouldn't be nearly that much.

Mine were $50 new at Costco, so it doesn't really sound like much of a savings.

Usually if the heel wears too quickly the shoe size was chosen one size too small.

In this case, they were a bit too large (I have wide feet and need to size up), but the other issue is that I walk around 12-15 km/day and that plus my weight tends to add up to destroy shoe soles fairly quickly. :)

There's a lot of other wear, especially under the balls of my feet, but the heel is the most noticeable bit.

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