Do you hear bumping and scraping in the walls? Have you found mouse droppings in the back of a drawer or cabinet? Whatever has clued you in to the fact that you have mice, now you know you have them. So, how do you get rid of them?

Do you know that if you keep mice from finding what they are looking for, you can get them to go away on their own? Think about it. If you were lost in the woods and you came upon a house that had nothing to eat or drink in it, would you stay? You might, if the conditions outside were hazardous. But what if there was another house that you could easily get into? Would you brave the elements to see if it had water or food in it? This is the mentality of the house mouse. If it finds its way into your walls and doesn't find what its looking for, it will find another house that does have what it wants. Here's what you need to know about mice in your home or business.

• It doesn't take much to feed a mouse. Mice are small. It doesn't take much to feed them. In a house they can find a nice treat around a toaster or toaster oven. In a business they can find broken bits of muffin and sprinkles of sugar on counters in the break room. Keep counters clear of bread, muffin and bagel bits. These are more than enough to keep mice around.

• Mice are not choosy. If you have food sitting in a trash can, a mouse will not think twice about climbing in there after it. If you have trash cans with rocker lids or open tops, mice can get in. All trash should be sealed all the time.

• Mice are rodents. The classification of rodent is designated to animals that have ever-growing incisors that must be worn down. This makes rodents prone to gnaw on things. If you have food stored in cabinets or drawers, mice can chew through sheet rock to get at it. This is how they mysteriously get into drawers. They don't pull the drawers open and climb in. They chew in behind cabinets, and jump down into drawers from behind. You can't keep them from doing this, but you can keep them from finding food in those drawers and cabinets. Put any food item, that comes in cardboard or paper packaging, inside hard plastic containers. This will keep mice from getting into those foods and keep the smells from luring them into those drawers.

• Mice need to drink too. Never let a faucet leak go unfixed. Not only will that little leak cost you on your water bill, it leaves a drink for mice. If mice have a water source, your property will be more appealing.

Keeping mice from finding what they're looking for is a natural way to make your home or business pest free. But to be fully protected from the damaging effects of mice, these exclusion techniques should be combined with a pest management plan that also seals mice from entry.