I would consider whether you need to put some vapor barrier down on the ground in the crawl space and possible consider forced ventilation down there. A rank, musty smell often comes from continuously damp earth in a crawl space. (Could also come from rats and mouse nests down there. If so, be acreful cleaning that sort of mess up, as there are diseases you can catch from the feces and urine around their nests. Actually, mouse droppings and urine - which doesn't smell like regular pee, it has a unique, but foul odor - may be a big part of your problem.) Also as others have mentioned I would consider washing every single surface, indoors and out. Actually I think a thorough washing is a very good thing to do when you start in on an old house because it generally will freshen things up, considerably, and it absorbs a lot of your new-house-I-want-to-make-it-mine energy in a way that doesn't involve making large changes to the building right away. I suggest washing with hot water and Dirtex. You could also try a plain powdered laundry detergent like Cheer, but that sometimes takes several rinses, where as Dirtex doesn't. You may find one of the scented cleaners like Lysol or Mr. Clean. Unless you love the odor of PineSol or Lestoil, I'd steer clear of those. It takes two buckets, two sponges, a good scrub brush (I like OXO ones) and lots of rags to dry the surfaces back off again. And I suggest kneepads when working on the floors. Have you asked someone else with a good nose to come and take a sniff? Sometimes a person who hasn't been conditioned to the smell by living there can pinpoint a particular odor, or location, and hasten the process of ID-ing the problem. Do you have wallpaper - sometimes that can trap odors, particularly musty or stale cigarette smoke. Smells would make me crazy, too, even though I live with 8 indoor cats and and two house rabbits. HTH, Molly

They always hiss with a newcomer. They even hiss at each other when they are used to each other, but one departs for a short while for something like a vet visit, and come home with strange aromas. One tip I got after Bindi's extended stay at the vet a couple of weeks ago - I realize it is too late for you but maybe it will help others in the situation. The vet told us to put a dab of cologne or perfume on each animal's forehead. That way there is a scent - but it's the same as their own scent. Pretty tricky!!! It really helped us with our recent travails with Bindi and bringing her home to avoid Ethel's annoyed 'what is that strange smell' hissing. Incidentally, Ethel not only hissed when we first adopted Bindi but she hisses at us, after we visit the house of the lady we adopted her from (because she has foster kitties nearly all the time). Ethel can smell the other cats on us. However, she did get over it after a while. I just wish I learned the cologne trick sooner. (we used the cologne most associated with my hubby - his CK Obsession - because we knew both cats would treat it as a familiar scent).

Illume was the original candle company and they're still in business with fabulous scents. The original owner was Lynette Reed and the candles and fragrances were unique and beautiful. They started out as a small candle shop in Santa Monica. After attracting the interest of investors, lluminations became the retail outlet for the company while selling Illume candles wholesale to other retail outlets. Illume and Illuminations parted ways in 2002. Yankee Candle bought the company in 2006, a death knell to say the least. It totally lost its panache in my book at that point. Wally Arnold did some neat things with Illuminations and the stores were beautiful, imo. So, if you're still looking for those wonderful types of scents and fabulous quality, then give Illume a try. Archipelago Botanicals also manufactures a line of candles that rival Illume's. If you have the opportunity and they have what you want, please use the store locator on the sites and shop with your local retailer. :-) Illume Candles Archipelago Botanicals

We started out with real but Dh came from a family that would get the "Charlie Brown" tree (five or six branches) and I came from a family that always had the "perfect" tree. My dad would remove branches from the bottom and drill holes in the trunk if need be to give the tree the perfect shape. Shopping for a tree with DH became a hassle. Sometimes I would have to go to several tree lots to find the one I wanted. Then came the 70's with the shag carpeting and I succumbed to the artificial because vacuuming needles in shag carpeting seemed an impossibility. It made tree time much more pleasant in our household, too. Then we moved to PA and right behind us was a tree farm. I put up the artificial in the family room early December and Christmas Eve when everyone was in bed, i snuck in a live tree for the living room, decorated it, and put some of Santa's presents under it. When DH went into the LR to turn on the Christmas music he said kids, come see what's in here. They were all surprised and later that day each one when asked separately what their favorite present was that year said the real tree. That became a tradition for many years. the artificial in the family room and the live one in the living room. At one point I had five trees. Now, I'm down to a table top, but it's a pretty big table top one and I'm happy with it. Everyone says how great a real one smells but to tell you the truth, I think it smells good for about a day, and then you don't smell anything anymore. Even when I bring in fresh greens it smells good for a very short period. Not worth all the extra trouble IMO.