Not hard at all. The grout comes up most of the way to the bevel, so you aren't really cleaning the sides of the tile. I used Laticrete's Permacolor in bright white. It is stain resistant, and it is a very true white, no caramel color in the mix. It was the only grout at that time that was a true white. If I needed to get something off of it that was stubborn, I used Oxyclean mixed with water (per the instructions on the box). I did a lot of cooking in that kitchen and never had a problem. There was never any brightener used on it.