I've been reading that many people do not clean the salt water off their kite after a day at the beach. Once the kite is dry just shake the sand off.

I tried that and yet my kite was left with what appears to be a cloudy sand/silt/salt ? like film which seems to be embedded into the fabric . The kite appears old and faded now.

I gave it a wash in my tub/shower to see if I could revitalize the colors but when it dried the kite still remained dirty and faded looking. Do I have to do a couple more cleanings to get rid of the sand/salt , or is this permanent now?

I've attached a picture

do not listen to those people...salt is corrosive by nature..it kills everything always rinse it off and dry your stuff before you pack it up...im gonna go say the same thing to the bearing guys next

I have now showered my kite twice, plus soaked it in the tub filled with water, and it still dries looking clouded with a faded sand. Would spraying a virgin kite with some sort of rain jacket beading protection help keep the salt water off in future ?

When I re-wet the kite the colors go back to normal. But when it dries it looks like the picture. The kite still will fly, but is the look of it ruined, and if so does this happen to all kites that hit salt water ?

Bring it to Wildwood and we'll wash it with Atlantic salt to clean it up
Seriously though, shine fades, but the flyability (is that a word?) doesn't. Is it possible that it's not sand, but an alge or oil? there's all sorts of crap that sits on the sand at low tide (were you at Locarno?).
If you want to get really into it, Bigkid* sells Kite Refit wash and seal that'll make any kite "new" again. (*he's just down the coast from you.)

3shot uses the original and very tame Woolite on his kites, I think he dilutes it a lot too... Looks good:

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=28526#pid27...

Yes. Like Soliver linked. I used a specific Woolite. I spread the kite out on a flat surface and use a uber soft bristle brush with circular motions. I recently did my 10 Scorp as you see. It looked almost exactly like yours, but mine was full of Playa (NABX) dust. Washing a kite with anything other than plain water is kinda considered taboo here, so I'm not telling you to do it. It's what works for me. When a kite has a lot of hours, lost ALL water repellency, and has UV fading, there isn't much to lose anyway (IMHO).

I also used the KIWI performance spray http://www.kiwicampdry.com/performance-fabric-protector.aspx safe for nylon. My Scorp looks and feels new again, and beads water like a sumb#tch now. A 10m arc will take 4 cans btw.

Great tips! Thanks everyone.

I figured the performance wasn't harmed just the cosmetic appeal. With new purchases, in this case less than four weeks old, one still has that dedication to keep it from getting "scratched." Giver' a couple more months and hopefully many hours of flight and I'm sure the new car look won't be as important to me.