Yes, they are efficient, but you have to be consistent. Tick sprays kill ticks but can be toxic to fish for example. They do their job quite well. What you have to remember is that all animals that live next to your home can be hosts. These include birds and mice. So you should spread them around the house where you think these hosts carry on with their lives.
You have to use them in the spring when the nymphes hatch and also in July and August when the larvae are out of their eggs. The tubes are very effective on mice because the tubes are filled with cotton which has the killing formula on it and when mice carry it inside their nests the oil gets onto their fur.
If you treat the potential hosts around your home, the chances of having ticks around the house lower significantly because these formulas are very efficient.