Mice like to live in warm places that are in close proximity to a food source. They are very agile and can squeeze through small openings and get in walls, over ceilings, behind furniture and pretty much anywhere.
Mice like untidy closets that contain many clothing items especially closets that are packed with things that provide mice with the right kind of shelter. To get rid of the mice you should work on cleaning any space in your home that contains clutter and that a mouse can use it as a comfortable nesting place.
Start with your closets, then remove the clutter from your floors, then the basement and the garage. A clean and tidy home or apartment is no place for a mouse. By eliminating their shelter they have fewer places to hide thus giving you a greater chance of catching one with a mouse trap later one.
Once you are done with the cleaning of your house its time to take a look on the exterior and clean up and place a mouse can find shelter at. Clean up any weeds, wood piles or anything else that can be used as shelter. Cleaning up your home and surrounding area is always recommended by pest control experts.