Among the challenges facing community nurses in their day-to-day practice is one that impacts greatly on patients, relatives and healthcare providers — the management of exudating skin conditions and wounds. This article looks at eosin solution, a popular treatment option for exudative dermatoses on mainland Europe, to the extent of being commercially available to the general public, but one which has dwindled in popularity in the UK. This article provides an introduction to this versatile nontoxic dye and outlines its potential application in the community setting by comparing it with the much more widely used alternative potassium permanganate.