Have mice invaded your home?
If you’re looking for the best mouse traps on the market to end the invasion once and for all, you’ve come to the right place.
In this blog, we share our top product recommendations to tackle this problem.
With over 20 years of experience saving homes from mouse infestations, we’ve tried and tested these products, and we can confidently say they get the job done.
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Editor’s Choice
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Best for Multiple Mice
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Best Electric Trap
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Summary:
A classic, disposable wooden snap trap that’s affordable, effective, and easy to use.
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Summary:
A durable, high-capacity live-catch trap that can catch up to 30 mice at one time.
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Summary:
A convenient, clean, user-friendly trap that conceals dead mice in a no-touch, no-see box.
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Primary Rating:
4.8
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Primary Rating:
4.6
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Primary Rating:
4.3
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Our Top Picks
- Editor’s Choice: Victor Wooden Mouse Trap
- Best for Multiple Mice: Catchmaster Multi-Catch
- Best Electric Trap: Victor Electric Trap
- Best Glue Trap: Tomcat Glue Trap
- Best No-Mess Trap: Tomcat Spin Trap
- Best Catch and Release Trap: Motel Mouse Humane Live Catch Trap
Summary: A classic, disposable wooden snap trap that’s affordable, effective, and easy to use.
Type: Snap trap
Disposal Method: Manual disposal of dead mice and trap
Reusable: No
Victor wooden mouse traps are a classic in the pest control industry, and for good reason!
The modern versions of these traps feature a large trip pedal, which allows the trap to catch more mice faster. These traps also have sensitivity settings that allow you to raise or lower the trap sensitivity to prevent it from deploying due to vibrations from machinery or environmental changes.
While some of these traps are pre-baited for your convenience, you can also add your bait of choice, like peanut butter. These traps work great in indoor and outdoor settings and are strong enough to kill mice, rats, and other small rodents.
The best thing about these traps, though? They’re affordable and fully disposable. After the trap catches a mouse, you simply toss it in the trash and set another one! No cleaning, re-setting, or sanitizing is required.
Our Experience: Based on our first-hand experience, we’ve found that these no-frills traps are easy to set and use, and we like them because they provide a powerful snap. We also appreciate that they’re easy to secure to the ground or vertical or horizontal surfaces, like beams. The plastic trigger on these traps is more sensitive than those on other wooden traps, which allows for an instant kill.
“We recently had a call out for rodents in the garage. Seeing small black droppings about the size of grains of rice, we knew it was mice. Setting out Victor’s Wooden Mouse Traps in areas these droppings occurred did the trick. We caught a half dozen mice between visits, and once the traps stopped catching, we closed up the openings in the garage and the customer had peace of mind and no more mice getting into his stored goods.” – Zachary Smith, “The Pest Dude”
How to Use: To set the trap, remove the staple and release the arm bar so it hangs off the back of the trap. If you’re using bait, apply it to the plastic pedal. Holding the trap securely, pull back the kill bar and brace it with your thumb.
Next, place the arm bar over the kill bar and secure it beneath the plastic pedal. Set the traps anywhere you’ve noticed high levels of rodent activity, such as the areas along walls. For maximum effectiveness, place multiple traps at 2-3 foot intervals.
- Strong snap
- Quick kill
- Affordable
- Disposable
- Easy to use in bait boxes
- Pre-baited
- You can accidentally snap your fingers while setting these traps
- Unless they’re placed in bait boxes or secured in hidden areas, these traps can be a snap risk for kids, pets, and non-target species
- Dead rodents are highly visible
Summary: A durable, high-capacity live-catch trap that can catch up to 30 mice at one time.
Type: Multi-catch trap
Disposal Method: Catch and release live mice
Reusable: Yes
The Catchmaster Multi-Catch Mouse Trap is the perfect choice for households with large mouse populations. Capable of catching up to 30 mice at once, this trap is easy to use right out of the box.
The trap features a lever that traps mice inside of a holding area, leaving them no way to escape.
At 10.25” x 6.25” x 1.75”, this trap is spacious and low-profile, which makes it perfect for placing in tight areas, like the space beneath furniture or under cabinets and appliances. This trap can also be used with or without glue boards and is available with a clear top, which makes it easy to check the trap for mice.
Our Experience: We have found that this product is effective and simple to use. In the field, we like to pair this trap with glue boards. If you prefer to use this product as a live trap, it’s easy to catch and contain mice and simple to release them.
How to Use: Place this trap lengthwise near baseboards, corners, or along walls, where mice are likely to travel. Add sticky traps or peanut butter to the inside of the trap, and check it daily for mouse activity.
- High-capacity and capable of catching multiple mice at a time
- Durable metal construction
- Low profile
- Safer for kids, pets, and non-target species than snap traps
- Can be used as a live trap or with glue boards
- Reusable
- Mice may be able to escape, especially if left in the trap for extended periods
- Requires you to dispose of dead mice or release live mice manually
- It may take a week or more to begin catching mice
Summary: A convenient, clean, user-friendly trap that conceals dead mice in a no-touch, no-see box.
Type: Electric mouse trap
Disposal Method: Manual disposal of dead mice, trap is reusable
Reusable: Yes
Designed to catch, kill, and contain mice, the Victor Electric Mouse Trap is a fast-acting, humane way to eliminate mice. In fact, the trap can kill up to 50 rodents per set of fully charged batteries!
This trap features a high-voltage shock, which kills mice immediately. It also offers a no-touch disposal feature, which allows you to dispose of dead rodents without manually handling them. This is also a great safety feature since it reduces your risk of contracting rodent-borne diseases.
While this trap may seem like it provides less visibility than snap or multi-catch traps, it solves that problem by offering an LED alert: a green light notifies you that the trap has made a catch.
For convenience and simplicity, this trap also offers a built-in bait cup, which holds bait securely and encourages mice to enter the trap.
Our Experience: When we’ve used this trap in the field, we’ve found it practical and easy to use. It kills mice immediately, is easy to set, and is perfect for indoor use. We also appreciate the tidy and streamlined appearance and the no-touch disposal feature. That said, this trap can be a bit difficult to clean, so we recommend avoiding viscous baits like peanut butter. If you’re looking for a trap that only targets mice, you’ll also want to be careful with this one: it’s large enough to catch and kill rodents like squirrels and chipmunks.
How to use: To set this trap, fill the bait cup before you insert the batteries. Once the bait is in place, insert four “C” batteries into the trap and place the trap anywhere you’ve noticed rodent activity. We recommend setting it on a flat surface and orienting it lengthwise against a wall, trim board, furniture, or other surface. When the trap is in position, turn the trap on by pushing the power button forward. A green light will blink once, and the unit will buzz, indicating it’s ready for use.
- Effective
- Fast-acting
- Easy to set and use
- Reusable
- No-touch disposal
- Safer than snap traps for use around kids and pets
- Can only be used indoors
- Some reviewers have reported that the trap stops working randomly
- Wary mice may learn to avoid this trap
Summary: An affordable, pesticide-free glue trap that catches mice and other household pests.
Type: Glue trap
Disposal Method: Manual disposal of dead mice and trap
Reusable: No
Tomcat-brand glue traps are a go-to in the pest control industry. Offering a large size, super sticky glue, and high-contrast color (for quick pest identification), these glue traps are the perfect addition to any mouse-trapping program.
Depending on your needs and preferences, you can use these traps alone or with multi-catch traps or bait boxes. They’re ready to use immediately and can be an excellent way to control mouse populations or monitor infestation levels.
Our Experience: After trying out this product, we’ve found these glue traps superior to many others on the market. The glue formulation is sticky enough to catch and contain mice, and the high-contrast color makes it easy to spot mice on the trap. We love that they’re pesticide-free and ready to use.
How to Use: To use these traps, simply set them where mice travel, such as along walls or under furniture. If you don’t catch a mouse on the glue trap within two days, move it to another location. When the trap catches a mouse, dispose of the glue board and mouse immediately.
- Affordable
- Non-toxic
- Easy to use
- Disposable
- Perfect for use alone, in multiple-catch traps, or in bait boxes
- May not always kill mice
- Mice can escape these traps
- Not as humane as traps that offer a faster kill
- Must be kept out of reach of kids and pets
Summary: An affordable mouse trap that provides a fast, no-mess kill.
Type: Spin trap
Disposal Method: Manual disposal of dead mice and trap
Reusable: No
The Tomcat Spin Trap is a fully enclosed trap that catches and kills mice quickly. Thanks to its enclosed design, the trap also contains dead mice in the capture area, which minimizes exposure to the dead rodents.
This trap is user-friendly, easy to set, and easy to empty. The trap’s two-way entry allows mice to enter from either direction, while the removable bait cup makes adding your choice of attractant easy.
Our experience: When we tested this product, we appreciated its unique design, which makes it easy to set in corners and other areas where mice are active. We also loved that, even though it’s a fully enclosed trap, it features color-coded status markers that tell you whether the trap is set or has caught a mouse.
How to Use: To use the trap, apply a small amount of peanut butter in the bait cup. Next, set the trap by pulling the entryway out until it locks into the “SET” position. This will expose two openings and allow mice to enter the trap. Place the trap perpendicular to a wall or in a corner where mice or their signs have been observed. Once a mouse has been captured and killed, the trap will indicate “CAUGHT.” Double-bag the trap and mouse and dispose of it in an outdoor trash can.
- Easy to see when the trap has caught a mouse
- Disposable
- Affordable
- No mess or contact with dead mice
- Nontoxic
- Safe for use around kids and pets
- Safe for non-target species
- Not reusable
- More expensive than snap traps
- Suspicious mice may learn to avoid these traps
Summary: An affordable live trap that catches and contains mice without harming them.
Type: Live trap
Disposal Method: Catch and release live mice
Reusable: Yes
The Motel Mouse No Kill Live Trap is a humane live trap perfect for catching mice you plan to release. Made from durable, high-visibility plastic, these live traps catch and contain mice in a stress- and cruelty-free fashion.
The air holes and space keep mice safe until you can release them, and the lack of pesticides, sticky surfaces, or snap features make this trap safe for use around kids and pets.
Additionally, this trap features a no-touch release, which allows you to release live-caught rodents without touching them.
Our experience: When we tested this product, we found it easy to use, clean, and set. The durable, high-visibility plastic makes it easy to see inside of the trap, and the bait end of the trap is large enough to hold a variety of baits, from peanut butter to seeds. The traps are easy to empty and clean and perfect for pesticide-free mouse control.
How to Use: Place this trap lengthwise against a wall, piece of furniture, or cabinet – or anywhere else you’ve noticed mouse droppings. Use a high-scent bait, like peanut butter, inside of the trap. Check the trap at least once a day to release any trapped mice.
- Non-toxic, pesticide-free
- Humane design
- Durable
- Reusable
- Easy to bait
- Does not kill mice
- May not be legal to release trapped mice in every location
- The door may be falsely triggered and may drop without trapping mice
- Mice may suffocate inside of the trap, which makes it less humane than other options
Buyers Guide
Are you wondering how to choose the best mouse trap for you? Here are our top tips:
1. Consider your preferences
When selecting a mousetrap, it’s essential to consider what you’re willing to do to get rid of mice. For example, if you’re squeamish, snap or shock traps may not be the best option.
While these traps are effective and offer a quick kill, they require more hands-on contact with dead rodents and blood. Considering your tolerance for this ahead of time will help you choose the best mouse traps for your purposes.
2. Combine approaches
To effectively trap mice, we recommend using a variety of traps, including multiple-catch and snap traps. This is a good approach because different traps are effective in different locations, and using a variety of traps in multiple settings is a great way to catch as many mice as possible.
For more information on how to get rid of mice in your house, check out our complete guide.
3. Consider hiring a pro
Sometimes, the only way to get rid of mice is to hire a professional for help.
Because mice breed rapidly and establish populations virtually anywhere, getting rid of them can be challenging. Fortunately, partnering with a professional pest management team is a great way to get rid of mice and keep infestations from coming back.
Bottom Line
How We Tested the Mouse Traps on This List
Our list of the best mouse traps includes products ranging from glue boards to multiple-catch and live traps.
To choose the mouse traps on this list, we gathered all the top products we use in the field (and in our homes) as pest control professionals and chose the top options in each category.
Once we’d decided on our initial list of treatments and products, we tested each product to ensure it killed or caught mice fast, was safe to use, and was affordable.
The result is this comprehensive list of effective, targeted, professional-quality mouse traps that work to catch and contain mice!
Why Trust Pest Dude?
When you consider a product recommendation, trust is essential. You want balanced information based on real-world experience. Here at the Pest Dude, we’re committed to giving you both. Our teams research and test every product. We compare results with other licensed pest control professionals, and we double-check our findings.
Zachary Smith, our company founder, has over 20 years of field experience. He runs his own company, Smith’s Pest Management, serving home and business owners throughout the Bay Area. Zachary has the final say over featured products. The goal is to give you the knowledge you need to solve pest problems like a pro. It’s our pleasure to put our expertise at your service.
Mouse Trap FAQs
To get rid of mice, leave traps in place until you’ve stopped seeing mouse activity. Check the bait weekly and rebait or relocate traps as required for at least 15 days. If you still have mice, leave the traps out for longer. If trapping doesn’t solve the problem, you may want to consider hiring a professional for help.
About twice a week. This is ideal to make sure the bait is always fresh. If you notice bait is depleted, contaminated, or gone, change it more frequently than twice a week.
Consider using less bait, switching to a different, more sensitive trap, or adding more traps to control mouse populations.
