Eli5 Why does it matter what temperature the water is when we do laundry?

Question

I’ve been a “throw everything in and wash on cold” person forever, but I started to notice certain things such as towels that typically require hot or warm water didn’t feel right anymore. Once I switched back they came out feeling soft and fluffy as usual. Why does it matter?

In: 724

Answer 1

There’s a lot of long explanation about detergent but it’s probably more about the fabric at this point.