Packing & unpacking
Packing Services in Dubai
Packing is where a move is won or lost, and it is the part people most often decide to do themselves and then run out of time on. All materials are included in our quote, and you can hand us the whole property or only the rooms you would rather not face.
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Materials in the price
Cartons, bubble wrap, stretch film, tape, paper and mattress bags. Nothing to buy, nothing to collect.
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Pack only what you want packed
Take the clothes and books yourself, hand us the kitchen and the glass. That split is where the value is.
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Labelled by destination room
Cartons are marked with where they are going, not where they came from, which is what makes unpacking finite.
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Unpacking too
Cartons emptied, contents onto surfaces and into cupboards, packaging taken away the same day.
Almost everybody intends to pack their own move. A good proportion of them are still doing it at one in the morning the night before, having discovered that a kitchen takes three hours and that they have run out of tape.
Packing is not difficult work but it is much slower than it looks, and it is the part of a move where the actual damage happens. Something wrapped badly in a carton that is too big has already broken; it just does not know yet.
The split most people should choose
Full packing is the least stressful option and partial packing is the best value, and they are not far apart if you divide it the right way.
Take the clothes, the books, the shoes and the linen yourself. They are bulky, they are slow, and none of them will break. Hand us the kitchen, the glassware, the electronics and anything framed. That is where the fragile items are concentrated and where the specialist materials are needed.
Kitchens
The kitchen is the room that decides the schedule. Two to three hours, regardless of whether the property is a studio or a villa, because the work is per item and not per square metre.
Crockery travels on edge like records rather than stacked flat, glasses go individually into paper and then into a divided carton, and the cartons are kept deliberately small — a large box of plates is a box that cannot be carried safely, and the drop is what breaks them, not the packing.
Wardrobes: leave them alone
Do not empty your wardrobe. Hanging clothes go straight into wardrobe cartons on their own hangers, with the rail intact, and come out the same way at the far end. It is faster for us and it saves you an evening of re-hanging.
Labelled where it is going
Every carton is marked with the room it is going to. That sounds like a small distinction from marking where it came from, and it is the difference between a first evening and a first fortnight — particularly when the rooms do not correspond, which is most of the time.
Unpacking
Booked in advance, unpacking runs the same day as the move: cartons emptied, contents onto surfaces and into cupboards, and every scrap of packaging taken away before the crew leaves. The cardboard from a three-bedroom move fills more of a living room than anyone expects.
Packing on its own
You do not have to be moving with us to book packing, and you do not have to book packing to move with us. If you want the whole thing handled together, it is included in house moving, apartment moving and villa moving.
What's included
- Double-walled cartons in several sizes, and wardrobe cartons for hanging clothes
- Bubble wrap, foam sheet, packing paper and stretch film
- Mattress bags and sofa covers
- Purpose-made cartons for televisions, mirrors and framed pictures
- Kitchen packing — crockery, glassware, small appliances, food cupboards
- Wardrobe packing, with hanging clothes kept on their hangers
- Electronics packed with cables labelled to their device
- Room-by-room labelling and a carton count
- Unpacking and same-day packaging removal, where booked
What costs extra
If any of these apply to your move they will be on your written quote before you agree to anything — never added on the day.
- Flammable and pressurised items — paint, thinners, gas canisters, aerosols in quantity
- Passports, Emirates ID, jewellery, cash and medication, which you should carry yourself
- Perishable food from the fridge and freezer
- Live plants and pets
- Custom crating for fine art or antiques, which is a specialist job we will refer on
Properties we handle
- Full packing
- Every room. Usually the day before the move, so move day is loading only.
- Partial packing
- The kitchen, the fragile items and the electronics. The most popular option, and the one we would recommend.
- Fragile only
- Glass, ceramics, mirrors and art, while you handle the rest.
- Unpacking only
- You packed it, we will empty it and take the cardboard away.
- Materials only
- Cartons and wrap delivered to you, if you would genuinely rather do it all yourself.
How it works
- 1 Decide the split Everything, or the rooms you want done. Most people hand over the kitchen and keep the wardrobes.
- 2 We bring the materials Delivered on the day. You buy nothing in advance.
- 3 Slowest rooms first Kitchen, glassware and anything framed. Wardrobes last, because you need clothes until the final morning.
- 4 Labelled and counted Destination room on every carton, plus a total count so nothing is quietly left behind.
- 5 Unpacking, if booked Cartons emptied, contents put away, packaging removed the same day.
Where we do this in Dubai
Access and permit rules differ by community. These pages cover what applies where.
- Al Rashidiya
- Muhaisnah
- Mirdif
- Al Warqa
- Dubai Silicon Oasis
- International City
- Al Qusais
- Al Nahda
- Nad Al Hamar
- Al Twar
- Umm Ramool
- Al Garhoud
Frequently asked questions
As a working figure, a studio runs around 15–25 cartons, a one-bedroom 25–40, a two-bedroom 40–60, and a three-bedroom villa 70–100 plus wardrobe cartons. Books and kitchens push those numbers up faster than anything else, because both are dense and both need small cartons. If we are packing, the count is our problem — we bring more than we expect to use.
Yes, and the split that saves the most for the least risk is to take the clothes, books, shoes and linen yourself and leave us the kitchen, glassware, electronics and anything framed. Those are bulky but forgiving; the things we keep are the things that break.
Roughly half a day for a one-bedroom flat, a full day for a three-bedroom, and a long day or more for a villa. The kitchen alone is normally two to three hours regardless of how big the rest of the property is, which surprises people every time.
No — leave hanging clothes on their hangers. They go straight into wardrobe cartons with the hanging rail intact and come out the same way at the other end, which saves you an evening of re-hanging. Drawers can usually stay full too if the unit is being moved as one.
Yes. Once you have unpacked, tell us and we will collect the flattened cartons. If you have booked unpacking, the packaging goes on the same day.
Other things we move
House Moving
Whole-house moves across Dubai, packed room by room and rebuilt the same day. See what it includes
Apartment Moving
Studio to four-bedroom apartment shifting, with the lift booking and building permit arranged. See what it includes
Villa Moving
Large-volume villa moves with outdoor furniture, oversized pieces and community access handled. See what it includes
Office Moving
Office relocations run out of hours, labelled by seat, with IT and documents handled in order. See what it includesNeed packing services in Dubai?
Tell us where you are moving from, where you are moving to, and what you need help with. We will survey it properly and come back with one fixed written price.