Steel wool makes a good temporary plug. Seal cracks in building foundations and openings for water pipes, vents, and utilities with metal or concrete. Doors, windows, and screens should fit tightly. Cover the edges of doors and windows with metal to prevent gnawing. Latex, plastic, rubber, wood, or other gnawable materials are unsuitable for plugging holes used by mice.
Trapping is an effective control method for controlling house mice.
Although time-consuming, it is the preferred method in homes, garages, and other structures, where only a few mice are present. Simple, inexpensive wood-based snap traps are effective and can be purchased in most hardware and grocery stores. Set the triggers lightly so the traps will spring easily. Leave traps unset until the bait has been taken at least once to reduce the chance of mice becoming trap-shy. They can catch several mice at a time without being reset, and therefore reduce labor requirements.