There are two red lights in the HoMedics humidifier, and there are specific actions to be taken to get rid of them. We did some research on the HoMedics humidifier’s red lights—what they mean and what to do with them—to bring you the best answer below.

The red light on the HoMedics humidifier is an indication that it detects a low level of water. Refilling it with water will revert the red light to green. A green light means that it has ample water supply to function properly. Another red light that could go on in your HoMedics humidifier is the clean indicator light. This light indicates that the HoMedics humidifier needs cleaning.

The succeeding sections detail the steps to address the two red status lights mentioned above so that you don’t end up damaging your HoMedics humidifier or hurting yourself. Read on to learn about other common issues that you could encounter and how to address them.

Safety Precautions

Turn off your HoMedics humidifier before detaching the reservoir. Unplug it from the wall so that it will not accidentally turn back on while you refill and reattach the reservoir.

Refilling The Humidifier Reservoir With Water

Most of the newer HoMedics humidifiers come with one demineralization cartridge for each reservoir (2-reservoir models have two demineralization cartridges out of the box) and refilling your humidifier is a good opportunity to check these cartridges. They normally last two months but using hard water on your humidifiers can easily cut this time to a month or less.

Remove the plastic cover and fill the reservoir with clean water. Using filtered water can help extend the lifespan of your HoMedics humidifier—and using distilled water will be even better.

Put the reservoir back on the base and replace the plastic cap on the reservoir. Plug the humidifier back in and turn on the humidifier.

We have a great article here if you're wondering how much water humidifiers use.

How To Properly Clean Your HoMedics Humidifier

The other red light that could go on in your HoMedics humidifier is the clean indicator light. This indicator is a timed light that goes on after a predefined period that is set into the humidifier’s electrical circuits.

The clean indicator light tells you that your humidifier needs cleaning. Follow the detailed steps below to properly and safely clean your HoMedics humidifier.

Materials To Use

Before we jump into the steps on how to properly clean your HoMedics humidifier, check the list of items that you would use to clean the humidifier:

1. Cotton swabs
2. White multi-purpose vinegar
3. Clean water
4. A small dish

Now let’s get to the steps to clean your HoMedics humidifier.

Cleaning Steps

1. Turn Humidifier Off & Unplug

Turn off your humidifier and unplug the power cord. This is a safety precaution to make sure that you do not accidentally trip any sensors. This is also to ensure that water will not accidentally go into any part of the humidifier where it is not supposed to.

2. Detach Water Reservoir

Carefully detach the water reservoir (or reservoirs if you have a 2-reservoir model) and remove the caps to open it. Drain the water while having one or two fingers partially covering the opening. Doing so allows you to catch the demineralization cartridge and prevent it from dropping to the bottom of the sink and possibly breaking.

Set aside the cartridge. Do the same thing for the other reservoir if you have a 2-reservoir model.

3. Drain Water from the Humidifier Base

Position the power cord away from the sink to avoid it from getting wet.

There is an arrow that points to the direction the water should be drained or poured out. Tilt the base towards the direction of the arrow to drain the water. Set it aside afterward.

4. Soak Reservoir in Vinegar/Water Solution

Get the reservoir and fill it with a cup of white vinegar and a cup of water. Fill both reservoirs with one cup of vinegar and one cup of water if you have two. It is best to use white vinegar with at least 6% acidity.

Using vinegar on your reservoir helps clean and soften any mineral deposits that might have accumulated inside. And the best part is that white vinegar is an effective disinfectant that can kill bacteria, molds, and fungus inside the reservoir.

Let the solution soak inside the reservoir.

Click here to check out Heinz multi-purpose vinegar on Amazon.

5. Expose the Transducer

Get the base of the humidifier and face the back towards you. Locate the small cover near the bottom of the base. It has an arrow pointing to the back of the machine or towards you.

Grab this cover by its handle and pull it towards you, then upwards to remove it. Removing the cover exposes the transducer. Set aside the cover.

6. Clean Transducer & Ring with Vinegar/Water Solution

Fill the small dish with 50% water and 50% white vinegar. Dip one of the cotton swabs in the solution.

Clean the black ring inside the transducer with the cotton swab to remove the mineral deposits. Do the same thing for the area surrounding the black ring.

The black ring is clean once it looks smooth and shiny with no white residues anywhere.

7. Clean Hinged Floats

Next, clean the hinged floats with the cotton swab dipped in the white vinegar solution. Clean it of mineral deposits so that the floats can move up and down freely.

8. Clean & Rinse Humidifier Base

Pour a tablespoon of the white vinegar solution at the bottom of the humidifier base and use a cotton swab to clean off mineral deposits. It will feel rough or sandy where there are mineral deposits left. It will feel smooth once you’ve removed all the mineral deposits.

Rinse the humidifier base with clean water, making sure that you tilt it in the indicated direction each time to dump the water after rinsing. Use a paper towel to dry the outside areas of the humidifier base that are wet, especially the areas near the power cable and the power cable itself.

Reattach the transducer cover and set aside the humidifier base.

9. Add Solution, Reattach, & Fill Reservoir

Take the reservoir and shake the solution inside to wash the inside surface. Dump the solution into the sink and rinse it thoroughly with clean water. Do the same thing to the other reservoir if you have two.

Refill your reservoirs with water.

10. Check Demineralization Cartridges

Check your demineralization cartridges. You need to replace them if they look too dark or moldy.

Try HoMedics 4-pack replacement cartridges if you need to replace your demineralization cartridges. Click here to see it on Amazon.

Put the demineralization cartridges into the reservoir and reattach the reservoir to the humidifier base. Reattach the reservoir caps.

11. Plug-in & Reset

Check the power cable before you plug it back in, making sure that it is not wet. Plug it in and power on the humidifier.

Press and hold the red reset button on the HoMedics humidifier faceplate. The red light on the reset button and the clean indicator light will go away after about 3 seconds of holding the reset button.

How often should a humidifier be cleaned?

The HoMedics humidifier has an indicator light that reminds owners when to clean it. If your model doesn’t have this feature, it is best to clean your humidifier every two weeks if you use it two to three times per week. Clean your humidifier weekly if you use it daily.

You will need to clean your humidifier a little more often if you use hard water with it because mineral deposits will accumulate faster with hard water.

Check this article about humidifiers that leave white dust.

Why is my humidifier making a popping sound?

Humidifiers normally make a mild humming or buzzing sound. This is the sound of the ultrasonic transducer vibrating at supersonic speeds.

The popping sound is sometimes the result of a humidifier that is not positioned on a level surface. Check your humidifier and make sure that it does not tilt or vibrate and that it is on a level surface.

Another cause of popping, gurgling, or even grinding sounds is a transducer that is filled with mineral deposits. Follow the steps above to properly clean your humidifier—especially the transducer.

Other loud sounds coming from your humidifier could be from a fan that is about to wear out. Using your humidifier in a dusty environment can shorten the fan's lifespan.

It is time to replace the humidifier once the fan stops working.

Can a humidifier clean the air as well?

Humidifiers cannot clean the air. They cannot reduce the number of airborne allergens either.

Can a dirty humidifier make people sick?

Dirty humidifiers can easily breed bacteria and mold because they are always wet. This can cause problems in people with illnesses like asthma and allergies.

A dirty humidifier can trigger flu-like symptoms or even lung problems in healthy people. Bacteria and mold buildup happens more easily with cool-mist humidifiers.

Conclusion

The HoMedics humidifier has two red lights that turn on to notify owners about its status. They normally stay on until action is done to address the status. Fortunately, they are simple to address and help in maintaining the humidifier.