An ultraviolet (UV) footwear illuminator for footwear treatment is disclosed. In one embodiment, the UV footwear illuminator includes an insert adapted for placement in an article of footwear. At least one UV radiation source is located in the insert and is configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region formed in the insert. A control unit is configured to control at least one predetermined UV radiation characteristics associated with the radiation emitted from each UV radiation source. A power supply is configured to power each UV radiation source and the control unit.
