Packing Checklist for Moving in Dubai, Room by Room

How many boxes you need

Box counts depend on how many people live in the home, how long you have lived there and how much you declutter, so published estimates disagree. These are the figures four publishers give, side by side:

The spread is wide, so use the table to sanity-check your own count rather than as a target. If a mover is packing for you, it should count during the survey and include the materials in the quote.

Counting boxes room by room

A room-by-room count is more reliable than a home-size average. MyGoodMovers gives these ranges per room; adjust them for how full your cupboards are, then add 10 to 15% spare:

Add wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes. MyGoodMovers suggests 1 to 2 for a studio, 2 to 3 for a 1-bedroom, 3 to 5 for a 2-bedroom, 5 to 8 for a 3-bedroom and 8 to 10 for a 4-bedroom home. Villas with a maid’s room, storeroom or garage need extra on top.

Materials and typical prices

What a complete packing kit for a Dubai move includes:

• Boxes in three sizes: small for books and heavy items, medium for kitchenware and shoes, large for bedding and light bulky things.
• Wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail, so clothes travel on their hangers.
• Dish-pack boxes with cell dividers for glasses, and picture or mirror boxes for frames.
• Bubble wrap, packing paper or acid-free tissue, and foam sheets for anything that can chip.
• Stretch wrap and corner protectors for furniture, and covers for mattresses and sofas.
• Strong packing tape, a tape gun and thick markers for labels.

Room-by-room checklist

Kitchen

• Wrap plates individually and stand them on edge; never lay them flat in a stack.
• Put glasses in dish-pack dividers, rims up, with paper inside each one.
• Use small boxes for tins, jars and heavy pots.
• Empty, defrost and dry the fridge and freezer the day before, and leave the doors open.
• Leave out one plate, cup and set of cutlery per person, a pan and the kettle for the last days.

Living room

• Photograph the back of the TV and other electronics before unplugging, so you can reconnect them.
• Pack books flat in small boxes so they stay liftable.
• Wrap remotes, cables and wall-mount screws together in a labelled bag.
• Remove sofa legs and wrap cushions separately if the sofa has to go through a narrow door.

Bedrooms

• Hang clothes straight into wardrobe boxes.
• Pack folded clothes and bedding in large boxes; they are light.
• Keep bolts and fittings from beds and wardrobes in a bag taped to the frame.
• Pack each child’s bedding and a few favourite things in a box marked to open first.

Bathrooms

• Tape the lids of liquids and put them in a sealed bag inside the box.
• Carry prescription medicines with you, not on the truck.
• Keep towels, toilet roll and toiletries for the first night in your essentials bag.

Balcony, storeroom and garage

• Clean and dry outdoor furniture and barbecues; check with the mover before packing gas cylinders, which are often refused.
• Drain fuel from garden equipment before the move.
• Pack tools in small, strong boxes and label them heavy.
• Plan separately for plants and anything flammable; see what movers will not pack.

What to pack when

Fragile and awkward items

• Glassware and crystal: wrap each piece in tissue, then bubble wrap, and stand it upright in a dish-pack box with dividers.
• Televisions and monitors: use the original box if you still have it, or a TV box with foam corners, and keep the screen upright.
• Art and mirrors: tape an X across glass, add corner protectors and use a picture box. Valuable pieces travel better in a crate; see moving art.
• Pianos and instruments: leave pianos to a specialist crew; see piano moving. Carry smaller instruments in their cases.
• Heat-sensitive items: candles, wax, chocolates, cosmetics and some medicines can melt or spoil in a hot truck in Dubai’s summer. Move them in your car.