Laundry is the washing of clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered. Laundry can be considered a room or area, as in a home or apartment building, reserved for doing the family wash.

Laundry was first done in watercourses, letting the water carry away the materials which could cause stains and smells. Laundry is still done this way in some less industrialized areas and rural regions. Agitation helps remove the dirt, so the laundry is often rubbed, twisted, or slapped against flat rocks. Wooden bats or clubs could be used to help with beating the dirt out. These were often called washing beetles or bats and could be used by the waterside on a rock (a beetling-stone), on a block (battling-block), or on a board. They were once common across Europe and were also used by settlers in North America. Similar techniques have also been identified in Japan.

Various chemicals may be used to increase the solvent power of water, such as the compounds in soaproot or yucca-root used by Native American tribes, or the ash lye once widely used for soaking laundry in Europe. Soap, a compound made from lye and fat, is an ancient and common laundry aid. Modern washing machines typically use powdered or liquid laundry detergent in place of more traditional soap.

Laidback Luke (born Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen, 22 October 1976 in Manila, Philippines) is a Dutch DJ, producer. He was voted #46 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ list in 2008, before jumping to #27 in 2009 and jumping up 10 places in 2010.

Laidback Luke grew up in The Netherlands and made his name as a graffiti artist before turning to making music. He has worked with artists such as David Guetta, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Example and Junior Sanchez and played throughout Europe and North America as well as shows in Japan and Ibiza. He has released two studio albums: Psyched Up (1998) and Electronic Satisfaction (2002) as well as a successful mix album, Windmill Skill (2003). In 2003, van Scheppingen did a remix of the Daft Punk song "Crescendolls" for the duo's remix album Daft Club. Luke has also released his own mix album, titled Ibiza Closing Party, as a free covermount CD in the October 2008 issue of Mixmag. He has currently released his new album on the 4th of July 2011, called Cream Ibiza Super You & Me.

Kelly Rowland (born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981) is an American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality. Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Houston, Texas, Rowland rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Rowland released her debut solo album Simply Deep in 2002, which contained influences of alternative-R&B and rock music. It included her joint worldwide number-one single "Dilemma" with rapper Nelly, and the international top-ten hit "Stole". Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Rowland released her second solo effort Ms. Kelly in 2007 and despite being less successful than its predecessor, it included the international hit singles "Like This" and "Work". In 2009, Rowland scored her second worldwide number-one hit with French DJ David Guetta, on his single "When Love Takes Over". Her third solo album Here I Am was released in 2011 and included the UK top-ten hits "Commander" and "Down for Whatever", as well as the US R&B number-one "Motivation".

Lisa Helen Mitchell (born 22 March 1990 in Canterbury, England) is an Australian singer-songwriter who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. Her debut EP, Said One To The Other topped iTunes in Australia and this success brought her to the attention of boutique London-based publisher, Little Victories [7], a subsidiary of Sony/ATV, with whom she signed in 2007. In 2008 Mitchell relocated to the UK where she spent the summer working on songs for her debut studio album, Wonder. Mitchell finished sixth in the 2006 season of Australian Idol.

Born to parents Angus and Ruth and with one sister Nicola, Mitchell moved to Australia at age 3, growing up in Albury, New South Wales. She attended The Scots School Albury. Beginning guitar lessons at 12 and leaning towards the folk and rock genres, she played in local cafes and events as well as with the cover band Chrome, taking inspiration from artists like Clare Bowditch and Joanna Newsom. She is now based in Melbourne, Victoria.

From August to September 2006 Mitchell rose to national prominence as a contestant on Australian Idol Season 4, performing cover versions, and two of her own compositions. She made the top 6 before being eliminated.

19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting) is an American reality television show on TLC. The show is about the Duggar family, which consists of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children—nine girls and ten boys (including two sets of fraternal twins), who all have names beginning with the letter "J". The series began on September 29, 2008. Season nine ended on March 27, 2012.

The family lives in Tontitown, Arkansas, and originally appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health one-hour specials, most of which focused on four of Michelle's last five deliveries. Jim Bob has one older sister, Deanna, who (along with her daughter Amy) occasionally appears on the show. Michelle has six siblings. Jim Bob and Michelle met in the early 1980s when Jim Bob, along with another church member, were sent for a follow-up visit after Michelle had experienced a religious conversion. Jim Bob and Michelle were married on July 21, 1984.

The Duggars elected to delay having children and practiced birth control. It was three years before Josh, their eldest child, was born. They then resumed using birth control; despite precautions, they conceived again but Michelle had a miscarriage. On December 9, 2011, Michelle revealed that they had named the miscarried child Caleb, even though they did not know whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Believing the miscarriage was due to the contraceptive, the Duggars quit birth control and embraced the Quiverfull movement. As they explained, they "decided to allow God to determine the number of children" they would have. Shortly thereafter, Michelle became pregnant again, this time with her first set of twins, Jana and John-David. Thereafter, Michelle has given birth approximately every year and a half.