Ownership Submission
FORM 4
Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
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(Print or Type Responses)
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *
BAKER DOUGLAS M JR
   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
ECOLAB INC [ECL] 		5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
__X__ Director _____ 10% Owner
__X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below)
Chairman, President & CEO
(Last)
(First)
(Middle)
ECOLAB INC., 370 WABASHA STREET N.		 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
09/16/2009
(Street)

ST. PAUL, MN 55102		 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year)
 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line)
_X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person
___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1.Title of Security
(Instr. 3)		 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code
(Instr. 8)		 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D)
(Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s)
(Instr. 3 and 4)		 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 4)		 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 4)
Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price
Common Stock 06/10/2009   G V 100,000 D $ 0 29,747.215 D  
Common Stock 06/10/2009   G V 100,000 A $ 0 100,000 I By wife
Common Stock 08/04/2009   G V 3,600 D $ 0 96,400 I By wife
Common Stock 09/16/2009   M   85,295 A $ 24.34 115,042.215 D  
Common Stock 09/16/2009   F(1)   61,885 D $ 46.715 53,157.215 D  
Common Stock               5,005.405 (2) I By Ecolab Savings Plan

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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security
(Instr. 3)		 2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 4. Transaction Code
(Instr. 8)		 5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D)
(Instr. 3, 4, and 5)		 6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date
(Month/Day/Year)		 7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities
(Instr. 3 and 4)		 8. Price of Derivative Security
(Instr. 5)		 9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s)
(Instr. 4)		 10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 4)		 11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 4)
Code V (A) (D) Date Exercisable Expiration Date Title Amount or Number of Shares
Common Stock $ 24.34 (3) 09/16/2009   M     85,295 (3) 12/05/2003(3) 12/05/2012 Common Stock 85,295 $ 0 0 D  
Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy) $ 46.715 09/16/2009   A   61,885   09/16/2009 12/05/2012 Common Stock 61,885 $ 0 61,885 D  

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address Relationships
 Director  10% Owner  Officer  Other
BAKER DOUGLAS M JR
ECOLAB INC.
370 WABASHA STREET N.
ST. PAUL, MN 55102		   X     Chairman, President & CEO  

Signatures

 /s/ David F. Duvick, Attorney-in-Fact for Douglas M. Baker, Jr.   09/18/2009
**Signature of Reporting Person Date

Explanation of Responses:

* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1) Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price and withholding taxes for a stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by delivering or withholding shares of Ecolab Common Stock.
(2) The reporting person indirectly holds 5,005.405 UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of August 31, 2009. Includes 18.218 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 5,005.405 UNITS are equivalent to approximately 9,358 SHARES of Common Stock.)
(3) Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan on December 5, 2002. The option was originally reported as covering 220,000 shares at an exercise price of $48.68 but has been adjusted to reflect a stock split on June 6, 2003 and the subsequent exercise of 49,410 shares on June 13, 2007 and 85,295 shares on December 14, 2007. The option became exercisable, cumulatively, as to one-third of the total shares subject to the option 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.

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