ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2007

Dec 4, 2007

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2007-11-30

Reporting Person: Hickey Michael A (SVP - Global Bus. Development)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2007-11-30	Common Stock	M	5000	$14.859	Acquired	15120.293	Direct
2007-11-30	Common Stock	S	5000	$47.50	Disposed	10120.293	Direct
2007-11-30	Common Stock	M	3000	$19.922	Acquired	13120.293	Direct
2007-11-30	Common Stock	S	3000	$47.50	Disposed	10120.293	Direct
2007-12-03	Common Stock	M	2800	$19.922	Acquired	12920.293	Direct
2007-12-03	Common Stock	M	14000	$19.266	Acquired	26920.293	Direct
2007-12-03	Common Stock	S	15824	$48.00	Disposed	11131.302	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2007-11-30	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$14.859	M	5000	Disposed	2008-08-14	Common Stock (5000)	Direct
2007-11-30	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$19.922	M	3000	Disposed	2009-08-13	Common Stock (3000)	Direct
2007-12-03	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$19.922	M	2800	Disposed	2009-08-13	Common Stock (2800)	Direct
2007-12-03	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$19.266	M	14000	Disposed	2010-08-18	Common Stock (14000)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	3235.444	Indirect

Footnotes

F1: Includes 8.766 shares acquired on 01/19/07, 8.896 shares acquired on April 19, 2007, 8.919 shares acquired on July 19, 2007 and 8.428 shares acquired by reporting person on October 18, 2007 by dividend reinvestment under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan for shareholders of Ecolab sponsored by Computershare Trust Company, Inc.

F2: Number of UNITS owned by the reporting person in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of October 31, 2007. Includes 171.533 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 3,235.444 UNITS are equivalent to approximately 6,040 SHARES of the issuer's Common Stock.)

F3: Options granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan. Each option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to 25% of the total shares (excluding any fractional portion less than one share), on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining option shares on the fourth anniversary of the date of grant.

F4: Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan. The option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to one-third of the total shares (excluding any fractional portion less than one share), on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining option shares on the third anniversary of the date of grant.