most damage is done getting the kite in and our of the bag, folding and general ground handling. I wouldn't recommend cleaning kites ever. Just don't pack them away for long when wet, coz the colours may run and you might get mold or weird stains.

just remember kites depreciate faster than you can destroy them. So treat them like ****.

LOL - good point carbine!!!! Never thought of it that way. eah, I never wash mine. Just make sure you don't get any sand in the bladders when inflating. The sand tends to make pinholes in the bladders.

Your Instructor was close to the mark.
If you really wanted to you could wash your kite a couple of times a season as long as it is 100% dry before putting it away. If its not dry you are pretty much gauranteed to get mould in the fabric and it never comes out. Its not the sand that causes the problem but the salt in the seams. To wash the kite I would reccomend pumping it up and just hosing it down (no soap or chemicals)
As for colour run this can happen any time you put a wet kite in the bag for more than a day or so. It is much less likely on an older kite as the colours are fastened by the sun over time.
I would pay more attention to the bar and lines. Rinsing the bar and lines every session will definately prolong thier life, just dont put the wet lines in the bag with your dry kite.

true i beleieve

Always wash my lines. They seem to be holding up well.

if you are that concerned about ware and tare on you kite the best thing you can do is no use it at all dont take it out of the bag , dont get it wet and dont feed it after mid night . that way after a year of saying one day i'ii try you can trade in your kite on a new one and only lose half of value . kites never hold there value no matter .get out and enjoy joy the bloody thing or go learn to windsurf

lol dont take white kites to wello, that tinge doesnt come out and i mean it does NOT come out...

ive also found that not letting your lines get caught around your wingtips when launching helps the condition of kites 2... this is a common problem when connecting your lines from upwind of your kite

liz, urban myth says the brown topwater sludge stain is caused by the stuff they spray up the tingalpa creek system to control mossies and midgies in the area.
it justs drifts across to king island and surrounds.

at least the cockies wont eat your kite in your garage! toxic

Twenty years ago it was taboo to place mylar/ microfilm cloth on concrete because of abrasion and delam issues. In those days I was meticulous in rolling my sails on the grass and keeping them well away from the road, probably because I was 18, unsponsored and needed my sails to last more than one season.

These days I see heaps of kiters carry (drag) their deflated kites up to the car park and role them up on the road or on the concrete footpath with little concern. Is the gravel from the road is easier to remove than the sand from the beach?