Heard Scratching in the Walls? What to Do About Mice in Your Orange County Home
Step-by-step: confirm it's mice, find how they're getting in, and decide what you can handle yourself versus when to call a pro.
Confirm it's actually mice
Mouse droppings are rice-sized and pointed at both ends — you'll find them along baseboards, in cabinets, and near food. Scratching at dusk and dawn, a musky odor in closed rooms, and gnaw marks on food packaging confirm it. If droppings are larger (raisin-sized), you're dealing with rats, which changes the plan.
Find the entry points
In Orange County homes, the top entry points are gaps around utility penetrations, dryer vents, the garage door bottom seal, and foundation cracks near grade. A mouse needs a gap the size of a dime. Walk the exterior with a flashlight at dusk — you'll often see the grease marks they leave at regular entry points.
What you can do yourself today
Set snap traps perpendicular to walls where you found droppings — peanut butter works, but a small piece of chocolate or nesting material works better. Store all food in sealed containers. Seal interior gaps under sinks with steel wool and caulk. These steps genuinely help.
Where DIY stops working
If you're catching mice but new droppings keep appearing, the entry points aren't sealed — and exterior exclusion on a roofline or foundation is ladder work most homeowners shouldn't do. If activity is in the attic or walls, or you've caught more than three mice, it's time for professional exclusion plus trapping.
The health angle people ignore
Deer mice in our region can carry hantavirus. Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings — wet them with disinfectant first, wear gloves, and ventilate the area. Heavy attic contamination is a remediation job, not a cleaning job.