ECOLAB INC. — Director's Dealing 2011

Nov 9, 2011

SEC Form 4 — Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership

Issuer: ECOLAB INC (ECL)
CIK: 0000031462
Period of Report: 2011-11-07

Reporting Person: MILLER JAMES A (President, Specialty & Service)

Non-Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Code	Shares	Price	A/D	Holdings After	Ownership
2011-11-07	Common Stock	M	7804	$48.65	Acquired	10535.368	Direct
2011-11-07	Common Stock	F	7177	$55.225	Disposed	3358.368	Direct
2011-11-07	Common Stock	G	627	$0.00	Disposed	2768.501	Direct
2011-11-07	Common Stock	G	627	$0.00	Acquired	18235	Indirect

Derivative Transactions

Date	Security	Exercise Price	Code	Shares	A/D	Expiration	Underlying	Ownership
2011-11-07	Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$48.65	M	7804	Disposed	2011-12-06	Common Stock (7804)	Direct

Holdings (Non-Derivative)

Security	Shares	Ownership
Common Stock	1090.013	Indirect

Footnotes

F1: Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price and witholding taxes for a stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by delivering or withholding shares of Ecolab common stock.

F2: Includes 9.749 shares acquired on January 21, 2011, 9.471 shares acquired on April 20, 2011, 8.677 shares acquired on July 20, 2011, and 9.237 shares acquired on October 20, 2011 by dividend reinvestment under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan for shareholders of Ecolab sponsored by Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

F3: Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of September 30, 2011. Includes 10.837 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 1,090.013 UNITS are the equivalent of approximtely 2,032 SHARES of the issuer's Common Stock.)