They are a hard coated breed, so easy to keep clean IF their coat is worked properly (throw corn starch or chalk and brush out). If clippered then yea, they get soft and dirt sticks moreso. Stripping can be a pain though. For show dogs, their jackets are groomed/trimmed once a week, pets every 3 months (if stripped, wripped down to undercoat and by the time 3 months rolls around the one layer can be pulled down again).
I've decided to try clippering and raking with my bitch. You can tells she's clipped, but she's retained some of her hard jacket. I pull furnishings here and there when she gets her weekly bath (because that's when I also trim them and her head as well).
So no, nothing like a maltese