ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2010

Dec 11, 2010

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2010-12-10

Reporting Person: Hickey Michael A (Exec. VP, QSR & Service Sector)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2010-12-10	Common Stock	M	14000	$20.86	Acquired	25269.213	Direct
2010-12-10	Common Stock	M	20000	$18.96	Acquired	45269.213	Direct
2010-12-10	Common Stock	S	28000	$48.49	Disposed	17269.213	Direct
2010-12-10	Common Stock	S	700	$47.992	Disposed	16569.213	Direct

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2010-12-10	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$20.06	M	14000	Disposed	2011-08-16	Common Stock (14000)	Direct
2010-12-10	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$18.96	M	20000	Disposed	2011-12-06	Common Stock (20000)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	3573.332	Indirect

Footnotes

F1: Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of November 30, 2010. (The 3,573.332 UNITS are the equivalent of approximtely 6,670 shares of the issuer's Common Stock.)

F2: Options granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan. Each option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to one-third of the option shares (excluding any fraction portion less than one share) on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining shares on the third anniversary of the date of grant.