I found that living in the country and storing your equipment, cars, and motorcycles in garages and sheds is a constant battle to keep vermin out. I used dryer sheets and moth balls. The moth balls for me were the worse experience. I had placed them one winter inside a motorcycle to discourage mice and they built a nest right on them. I think cats are a pretty good deterrent. My neighbor had an excellent mouser, named Munchie. I always saw that cat going by with a mouse or chipmunk in its mouth. My main pest control for mice right now are live traps. I place them along walls where mice travel and leave them unbaited. Mice travel by smell--they follow their urine trails. So you never want to use traps where mice could bleed and contaminant the scent. In addition, pets could eat any poison bait you put down. So at the moment, I'm using less than a half dozen of the pictured traps below, placing them in strategic places.