When ionizer is on even

yes you can wash the dirt container in worm soapy water,rinse off and make sure it's absolutely dry before you use it again.this link is for the manual if you need it. good luk in your new home.***
http://hoover.com/file/570/

The only other light I'm aware of is the light in the back of the machine attached to the radio frequency ionizer. This light lets you know that both of the ionizers including the needle point ionizer are working. When the light is off, it means the ionizers need cleaning or service. When I clean my machines, I always clean off both ionizers w/ a 50/50 solution of Ammonia w/ a paper towel. I do this the same time I clean the ozone plate. If you're machine is still under the 3 year warranty, you can send it back to be fixed for no charge except shipping. I hope this helps.

The ionizer cleans the air. If it's working properly, it will smell like the air right after a lightning storm. You should use as little as possible, based on the size of the area, you're using the unit in. Do not allow it to blow directly on you or anyone else. The higher you can place the unit, the better it will work. Match the fan speed to ionizer setting.

Hope this helped you.

Check that there are no fine pieces of lint that are bridging the plates or the ionizing wires, to ground.

Check the contact points of the collector cell and inside the unit.

The light is caused by a shorted collector cell and associated components.

ask the person who sold it to you if you do not know or cannot contact them please e-mail me at [email protected]

You are probably aware that the ionizer uses a very high voltage (at very low current) to function. If you have used a cleaner of some kind on it, you could have made the grid sensitive to moisture.
I would remove the grid again and wash it thoroughly in distilled water to remove any residue that stayed behind, then dry it in warm air before reinstalling it. 

Ionizers do cause a bad odor to happen. I work in the copier business and do work around machines that can cause an ozone to happen when there are ran. Copiers like ionizers can cause an ozone to happen because the air particles are being electrically charged. The smell isn't good to be breathing in as well.

Here is an EPA report about ionizers

The Consumer Products Safety Commission is going to be making a decision about the health effects on ionizers by the end of the year. Their decision can effect selling ionizers all together.

This industry should have been regulated years ago and after what happened to Sharper Image this year due to their arrogance it isn't doing the industry any favors. They went out of business because of Consumer Reports findings and tried to sue them for it.

If you really want the air in your house cleaned, the best way to do it is using a hepa filter.

Sharper Image Ionic Breeze products are no longer supported because they were proven to be ineffective by Consumer Reports causing legal disputes that the company lost. This legal dispute put the company out of business.

Here is an article about Sharper Image

Here is an article from the EPA about Ionizers

The Consumer Products Safety commission is going to release a report on all ionizers by the end of the year. Their decision could make ionizers a thing of the past.

I just bought the same model and also have the smell. My previous one did not so I returned the first unit and the second units smells the same. I called Sears Customer Support and they told me that it is probably due to the factory smoke test they do on each unit. He said let it run for a few days and it should dissapate. I went a step further and am trying a new filter and if this works he said call the store and they will get me a new filter.