1. Sanitation:
Although it cannot be guaranteed that well-sanitized places would never breed mice, the fact remains that poorly sanitized places are sure to attract mice in large numbers. They can survive even if food and shelter is limited. Therefore you should not only sanitize your whole house, you should also destroy those areas that are likely to become the breeding ground for mice. If there are only a few places where they can live or rear young ones, they cannot multiply in large numbers.
2. Mouse-proof construction:
This is one of the proven ways to eliminate mice. You should close any opening in your house, especially those which are larger than 1/4 inch. You should look to it that there are no openings in your kitchen through which mouse can enter. You should always store dry grains and meat in air tight containers so that they are safe from mice.
You not only need to plug holes in your building, you also need to plug holes in your water pipes, drainage systems, vents, window screens, etc. These are the places through which a mouse is likely to enter.
3. Mouse Trap:
Mouse traps are an effective and sometimes the preferred method for controlling mice. You can easily buy a mouse trap from your local hardware store. However, you need to know a few things about using mouse traps. First of all, do not set only a few traps. In fact, it is a good idea to set multiple traps at strategic locations. Secondly set the traps at correct places. By 'correct' places, I mean places which are no more than 10 feet from the shelter of the mouse. Remember that mice are unlikely to venture very far out of their shelter. So keeping traps close to their shelter is very effective. Thirdly, your bait should be a sensitive one which would attract the mice even from their shelter. Baits such as chocolate candy, a small piece of bacon or dried fruit work best for attracting mice.