A traditional technique from Morocco helps reduce home temperature without air conditioning. How natural cooling works.
As summers get warmer and seasons heat more common, many seek ways to cool their home without increasing electricity consumption. An old practice from North Africa, known as «Arabic cooling method», comes to the fore thanks to its simplicity and low cost.
The technique is based on a natural process that has been used for centuries in areas with a particularly hot and dry climate, such as Morocco: the evaporation of water.
The idea is simple. A cotton towel is lightly wet and placed in front of an open window. As the warm air passes through the liquid fabric, it causes the water to evaporate, resulting in the air entering the room being cooler.
How wet towel cooling works
The process is based on a simple rule of physics: when water evaporates, it absorbs heat from the environment. Thus, air temperature can be significantly reduced, especially when dry conditions prevail.
For better results, experts suggest:
- the towel should be cotton and not too soaked,
- be placed close to a point where air passes,
- apply mainly at night, early in the morning or in areas with low humidity,
- There's air traffic inside the house.
An additional trick is putting the wet towel between two spaces with open windows on opposite sides of the house. This creates natural air current, enhancing the cooling effect.
However, the method does not work as effectively in areas with high humidity, as the air cannot easily absorb extra water vapor.
The wisdom of traditional Arabic architecture
The use of water for natural cooling is part of a wider architectural tradition developed in countries of North Africa and the Middle East.
Before air conditioning appeared, these societies designed their homes to cope with high temperatures. The residences had thick walls that operated as thermal insulation, internal courtyards with plants and water, as well as special openings for the natural circulation of the air.
The courtyards with fountains and vegetation functioned as physicists «temperature regulators», creating a cooler microscale inside the buildings.
