Traps

• Consider using mouse traps, perhaps the easiest way to kill a mouse. Traps are offered in a variety of designs. Some are like basic mouse traps from years ago. You set the trap, place a piece of cheese on one end, and when the mouse tries to get the cheese, the other side snaps on the mouse and kills it. Or use a newer mouse traps that allows the mouse to crawl inside, where it can't escape.
  
  

Repellents

• Use inexpensive natural repellents that will keep mice at bay without killing them. Place mothballs around your home and garden. They can have a strong odor at first, so place them out of areas where you sit, sleep or eat. Keep them behind furniture, cabinets, along walls and near entryways. Sprinkle them throughout the garden and near trash cans as well. Check to see if your dryer sheets contain an ingredient called oleander, which works as a natural deterrent for mice, ants and other pests. Scatter the sheets throughout your home and garden. They will repel mice and other rodents while giving off a laundry-fresh scent. Use peppermint to deter mice, garden moles, ants and other home and garden pests. Grind a bag of peppermints into a powder, and sprinkle throughout your lawn and home. Alternately, soak a few cotton balls in peppermint essential oil and place throughout your property.
  
  

Food Storage

• Store food properly, which may be the most effective way to keep mice out of the home. Mice feed off of spilled crumbs and eat from packages of food that are opened or can be chewed open. Regularly vacuum crumbs from the floor, wipe tables and countertops clean after eating and keep food stored and sealed tightly. It is recommended that food be stored in cabinets, pantries or plastic tubs, where mice cannot easily access and eat through a package wrapper.