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 *
SCHMECHEL DANIEL J
   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
ECOLAB INC [ECL] 		5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
_____ Director _____ 10% Owner
__X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below)
Senior VP & Controller
(Last)
(First)
(Middle)
ECOLAB INC., 370 WABASHA STREET N.		 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
07/27/2006
(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 07/27/2006   M   4,000 A $ 7.5938 24,320.426 D  
Common Stock 07/27/2006   F(1)   1,790 D $ 42.33 22,533.315 (2) D  
Common Stock               2,255.029 (3) 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
Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy) $ 7.5938 (4) 07/27/2006   M     4,000 (4) 08/16/1997(4) 08/16/2006 Common Stock 4,000 $ 0 0 D  

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address Relationships
 Director  10% Owner  Officer  Other
SCHMECHEL DANIEL J
ECOLAB INC.
370 WABASHA STREET N.
ST. PAUL, MN 55102		       Senior VP & Controller  

Signatures

 /s/David F. Duvick, Attorney-in-fact for Daniel J. Schmechel   07/31/2006
**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 withholding shares of Ecolab Common Stock.
(2) Includes 1.030 shares acquired by reporting person on January 20, 2006, 0.960 shares acquired by reporting person on April 20, 2006 and 0.905 shares acquired by reporting person on July 20, 2006 under the Ecolab Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
(3) Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of June 30, 2006. Includes 139.795 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 2,255.029 UNITS are the equivalent of approximately 4,212 shares of the issuer's Common Stock.)
(4) Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1993 Stock Incentive Plan on August 16, 1996. The option was originally reported as covering 2,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.1875 per share, but has been adjusted to reflect a stock split on June 6, 2003. The option became exercisable as to 25% of the total shares subject to the option (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 shares as of the fourth anniversary on the date of grant.

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