I recently discovered my dryer was not working well. Upon checking the vent outside, I found some wiseacre had stuffed a half-eaten turkey into the pipe. I now know why my Fruit of the Looms smelled more like Food in the Room.

What kind of person would do such a thing? The turkey obviously has been cooking in that vent, from all the heat emanating from my dryer. How do I get a blackened turkey out of my dryer vent? Hurry with the answer, since the dog is gnawing at my pant leg!

A: I'm really not sure who would do such a horrible thing. Undoubtedly, a reader of this column.

I recently ran across a very sweet product called LintEater for the do-it-yourselfer to clean inaccessible dryer vent pipes of lint, but not necessarily turkey parts. Assembling five sections of three-foot-long flexible rod to a bristled auger brush, I "drilled" my vent line clean.

The design of the rotary brush makes it somewhat self-feeding, so that it also pulls the lint back out with the brush as it is extracted. My dryer line is just over 20 feet long, so the dryer side of the pipe was beyond reach of the brush from the outer edge of the house (5 x 3 = 15, for those who weren't following along).

Disconnecting the pipe at the dryer end, I fed the brush through a nasty angle and pulled lint backwards. Short-radius, 90-degree angles are a challenge, but not completely out of the question. The equipment comes with a vacuum attachment and a brush for cleaning cavities inside the dryer itself. The dryer brush was the most useful, since I had enough inaccessible lint to knit a new sweater. They claim, and I can imagine, that this brush is good for cleaning under the fridge. Not that I know, since I don't let much dust grow around my fridge.

The rotary brush does a job on the dryer vent even without attaching a drill; simply having a tool to reach out-of-reach bird-nesting material is good enough for me. LintEater is available from www.linteater.com and at 888-985-0208 for $39.95.

Q: Considering the recent column on green building materials, do you have any suggestions where I can dispose of a burned turkey without filling the landfills any further?

A: No, but I'll giblet some thought.

Books on building

Since it is the season for gift ideas, I can recommend two new books that have crossed my path recently.

While not once referring to turkeys, Sheri Koones' "House About It" (Gibbs Smith Publishers, 2004, $24.95) is stuffed with such an incredible amount of research, it makes my leftover legs and wings wobble. Dedicated strictly to building materials, it is for the homeowner building or remodeling.

Opening with a discussion of differing architectural styling, she goes into great detail about manufactured, stick-built, panelized, modular, log, insulated concrete form, structural insulated panel, straw bale, geodesic dome, concrete, autoclaved aerated concrete, post and beam/timberframe, masonry and nearly every other type of residential construction. Roofing, siding, windows, lighting, carpet, fireplaces, heating and many other components are similarly discussed at length, with pros and cons of each.

Each subject lists numerous Web sites and phone numbers. I have never seen a better reference for building materials. Koones' book does not pretend to delve heavily into installation techniques or do any heavy critiquing, but it does fairly mention, for example, that EIFS siding has had some problems in the past, without much detail. A great general reference book, and surprisingly an interesting read, but do not buy it expecting her to rip into any particular manufacturer or product — as so needs to happen sometimes.

If you want someone to give you a bit of personal opinion, reach for Myron E. Ferguson's latest, "Better Houses, Better Living" (Home User Press, 2004, $24.95). Ferguson is on a crusade to rid the world of dumb design mistakes and oft-repeated sloppy construction techniques that make homes less "user friendly." And he certainly has a point.

Dishwashers in corners are his No. 1 complaint, and I agree with him; these kitchens must have been designed by people who have never put away a dish! Showerheads that are too low, doors blocking access to toilets, light switches blocked by open doors, laundry vents at the front entry and myriad other complaints we all recognize but just assume "that's how houses are built."

Ferguson's point is that they don't need to be, and we don't have to take it anymore. Ferguson goes system by system through the house, similar to Koones, but delves more into technique and design rather than just materials, focusing on what is going, or can go, wrong rather than what product is available on the market.

Ferguson doesn't pull punches about shoddy products, referring, for instance, to Masonite Woodruf roofing product — "probably better to avoid it."

Ferguson delivers schooled advice on things to look for when buying a home, and things to avoid when remodeling. Not meant to be a complete reference like Koones' book, it does deliver needed counterbalance to the tract builders who don't really seem to care.