The Best Mousetraps, According to Experts—and Which to Skip

For this report, experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab evaluated leading mousetraps available at major retailers and online, focusing on the types most consumers are likely to purchase. We also consulted guidance from specialists at the Penn State Extension and the Building Performance Institute on best practices for rodent control and pest-proofing.

To narrow our recommendations, Good Housekeeping Institute staffers conducted hands-on, at-home evaluations of select models, assessing ease of setup, safety features, durability, and overall usability. We incorporated this feedback with our experts’ knowledge of pest-control standards to determine the strongest performers.

We also analyzed retailer reviews to identify any recurring concerns related to effectiveness, safety, or reliability.

Think about what type of trap you want to use. The four main options outlined below vary by cost, ease of use, and squirm factor (i.e., how much you'll actually have to see or handle the rodent).

Note that we do not recommend rodenticides, which should never be used in homes because of the risk of accidental poisoning, especially of children and pets.

✔️ Snap traps are the most common type, with a quick trigger system to catch mice. There are several kinds of snap traps, including bar and clam. When used correctly, snap traps can swiftly eliminate a mouse population in your home. They are also inexpensive and reusable. The downside is they're a little tricky to set (watch those fingers!), and you have to deal with disposing of the dead mouse. Here's a breakdown of the variations:

• Bar traps are the most traditional kind of snap trap. To set a bar trap, place bait on a pressure-sensitive switch to attract mice. Once a mouse tries to move that bait, a spring-loaded bar is activated.
• Clam snap traps feature a spring-loaded "clam" jaw that's activated once the bait is moved.
• Hidden kill snap traps feature a chamber with a baited switch at the end. Once a mouse enters the chamber and tries to move the bait, the hidden snap trap will kill the mouse in much the same way as a bar or clam trap would, but you don't have to deal with seeing a dead rodent.

✔️ Electric traps, also referred to as electronic traps, work by luring mice into a chamber and then delivering a quick, fatal electric shock. These traps are typically designed with no-touch, no-see disposal and are engineered to prevent humans and pets from being shocked. Electric traps have a light or other signal that indicates when a mouse has been caught. These traps are typically larger than most other trap types, run on batteries, and are among the more expensive kinds of mousetraps.

✔️ Catch-and-release traps are often similar to other traps for larger mammals—they catch but don't kill the mice. They are essentially chambers or cages outfitted with trigger-activated doors. The trap's door shuts once the mouse is inside the chamber, and it won't reopen until you release the captured mouse. These traps are relatively easy to use and can be effective, but they are typically less discreet than many other trap types, and, of course, they involve handling a live mouse. It is important to release the mouse a few miles from your home to prevent it from returning. Captured mice that return are often wary of traps and harder to catch a second time.

Due to the inhumane killing method of sticky or glue mousetraps, we do not recommend sticky traps. "They're also not as effective since adult mice will quickly learn to avoid them," said a specialist with the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program.

The answer to this question is not as cut and dried as you might think. For example, catch-and-release traps might seem like the most humane type of mousetrap, and indeed our roundup includes a couple of options. But as we explain, a mouse that’s released into a strange environment has a low chance of survival, so you’re likely just delaying the inevitable. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discourages the use of live traps because they often cause mice to urinate, which can lead to the transmission of various diseases.

That’s why our experts favor traps that kill mice, ideally in an instant, to eliminate prolonged suffering. The fatal blow of a snap trap or the deadly shock of an electric trap are both instantaneous. Compare that to a glue trap, which subjects the mouse to a slow, agonizing death over hours, if not days. Glue traps also pose a risk to other animals, including pets in the home.

Once you've found the mousetrap that works best for you, maximize its efficacy by baiting it properly. Mice have a keen sense of smell, so choosing a bait that has a powerful scent is important if you want to trap mice successfully.

Pest specialists note that mice prefer fresh food over anything stale or dried out. Although cheese is often associated with mousetraps, it dries out quickly and isn’t considered the most effective bait. Peanut butter was once a go-to option, but many professionals now avoid it because of potential nut allergy concerns. Instead, some of the current favorites include:

• Hot dog
• Chocolate
• Bacon
• Birdseed
• Nuts

Placement is key. Pest specialists recommend placing traps anywhere you’ve noticed mouse activity. Common travel routes include along walls, in dark corners, under appliances, and behind the kitchen faucet.

For a more serious infestation, specialists advise setting multiple traps at once—at least six and often a dozen or more. It may take a couple of weeks, but using enough traps consistently should significantly reduce the population.

Experts recommend a strategy based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which posits that there's no single cure-all solution to pest control. "Multiple things must be done to prevent pests from entering the home and to make the home a less desirable habitat if they do enter," noted the Building Performance Institute. Here are the key best practices.

• Deny mice a food supply. Mice search for a warm and comfortable source of food (especially in colder temperatures). Make sure to keep your kitchen area extra clean. Wiping the table and counters, and sweeping the floor after meals to ensure no tempting crumbs or spills are left behind, is a good practice. It's also smart to store all unsealed food—including pet food—in airtight plastic, glass, or metal containers.
• Promptly remove extra paper goods. Mice will also eat cardboard and paper, so be diligent about throwing away all food packaging in a sealed trash can and putting pantry items in sealed glass or plastic containers.
• Contain your trash well. Make sure your trash container is entirely mouse-proof by using a can with an airtight lid and/or rubber bands to secure it.
• Seal all potential mouse entryways. Check the foundation for cracks and seal gaps around basement pipes or other openings with caulk. Even a crack as small as a quarter inch can allow a mouse to get inside. Fill larger holes with steel wool, which mice can’t chew through, and install screens over vents and chimneys to help keep them out.

Experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab provide product reviews and advice on all things home-related, including pest management. In his role as Lab Director, Dan DiClerico brings more than 25 years of experience to the GH Institute, having reviewed thousands of products for Good Housekeeping and for brands such as This Old House and Consumer Reports. He has also written extensively on healthy homes, including the negative impacts of pests and other allergens on indoor air quality. And he has used all the various mouse traps covered in this report.