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My roommate is convinced that getting rid of crumbs on the counter will make the mice go away, and they won't be a problem anymore.

We did a thorough cleaning of the house and make sure every time we leave no crumbs. But obviously we can't get EVERY crumb, so I have been telling my roommate that cleaning up after ourselves is not an effective deterrent.

Even after cleaning I found mouse droppings on the countertops a week later.

I want to possibly use traps, but I'm confused how traps would make the mice GO AWAY.

Clearly there is more than one mouse, so even if we trapped mice with food as bait, wouldn't we get MORE mice coming for the bait and getting stuck in the traps?

I want the mice GONE so they know not to come into the house.

Would anyone agree that getting rid of crumbs on the counters is not enough of a deterrent?

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  • You should still keep the place clean, it does help with vernon. Plus not keeping clean is really rude housemate behavior... which will cause resentment and problems later.
    – Harper - Reinstate Ukraine
    Jun 24, 2017 at 19:55
  • Yes, I agree. My issue is my roommate saying that keeping crumbs away will obliviate the mouse problem, but it's not proving to be an effective deterrent.
    – Aimee
    Jun 24, 2017 at 21:21

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Mouse traps do not deter mice. On the contrary, traps use bait to attract mice as part of catching and/or killing them.

You should figure out where the mice are getting into your home and correct it so they can no longer get in (mice can fit through openings as small as 1/4"). Then, focus on getting rid of the mice that are trapped inside your home.

If you have many mice within your home and want the problem resolved quickly, it may be best to call in a professional to help address the problem.

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  • Ok, so you would agree that getting rid of crumbs is not enough of a deterrent?
    – Aimee
    Jun 24, 2017 at 18:53
  • On its own, it would likely not be enough of a deterrent to get rid of the mice from your home at this point. It could help keep them from visiting the interior of your home in search of food as often, but that would probably take a while (much longer than a week) for them to learn that the inside of your home is no longer a good place to go in search of food. They would likely continue to nest inside of your home if they found a comfortable spot.
    – statueuphemism
    Jun 24, 2017 at 19:01
  • On second thought, since it is your room mate, that means you are potentially in an apartment building or other multiple occupancy building. In that case, the mice may quickly find someone else's dwelling more appealing for food if you keep your place spotless. If this is the case, I would still recommend contacting your landlord in hopes of addressing the mouse problem.
    – statueuphemism
    Jun 24, 2017 at 19:13
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You first have to survey just how the mice may be entering the house. Close up or screen off any openings along the complete lower perimeter of the dwelling. Once that is done start setting traps for mice that may have taken up residency inside the building. Since as you indicate that there is apparently more than a single mouse you may have to setup a trapping regimen with multiple traps located along walls and under the fronts of cabinets where mice are likely to run at night.

BTW...for food bait the smokey flavored spray Cheez Whiz makes an excellent attractant to get mice to the trap. I believe the odor alone gets them to come there.

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