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INCOME TAXES (Details 4) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Reconciliation of the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to the company's effective income tax rate      
Statutory U.S. rate (as a percent) 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
State income taxes, net of federal benefit (as a percent) 1.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes 1.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes 1.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes
Foreign operations (as a percent) (6.10%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential (4.50%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential (3.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential
Domestic manufacturing deduction (as a percent) (2.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsQualifiedProductionActivities (2.60%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsQualifiedProductionActivities (2.60%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsQualifiedProductionActivities
R&D credit (as a percent) (0.70%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch (1.40%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch  
Change in valuation allowance (as a percent) (0.10%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance (1.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance  
Nondeductible deal costs (as a percent)   0.20%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseOther 0.50%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseOther
Audit settlements and refunds (as a percent) 0.20%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxSettlementsOther (0.80%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxSettlementsOther 0.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxSettlementsOther
Other, net (as a percent) 0.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments (1.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments (0.40%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments
Effective income tax rate (as a percent) 28.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 25.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 30.70%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations
Unremitted foreign earnings that are considered permanently reinvested $ 1,800,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries $ 1,600,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries  
Unremitted foreign earnings 37,400,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesUndistributedForeignEarnings 94,500,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesUndistributedForeignEarnings  
Recognized discrete tax benefit, net 13,200,000ecl_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitFavorableSettlements 41,700,000ecl_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitFavorableSettlements 9,200,000ecl_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitFavorableSettlements
Foreign deferred tax assets realized, used to derive net discrete tax benefit   11,500,000ecl_DeferredTaxAssetsForeignRealizedUsedToDeriveFavorableSettlements  
Deferred tax assets and liabilities remeasured, used to derive net discrete tax benefit   11,300,000ecl_DeferredTaxAssetsAndLiabilitiesRemeasuredUsedToDeriveFavorableSettlements  
Amount of adjustments recognized from filing 2012 U.S. federal and state tax returns, used to derive net discrete tax benefit   11,000,000ecl_AmountOfAdjustmentsRecognizedFromFilingPriorYearFederalAndStateTaxReturnsUsedToDeriveFavorableSettlements  
Reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits      
Balance at beginning of year 98,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 93,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 89,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year 5,300,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromCurrentPeriodTaxPositions 9,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromCurrentPeriodTaxPositions 7,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromCurrentPeriodTaxPositions
Additions for tax positions of prior years 5,200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions 6,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions 5,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions
Reductions for tax positions of prior years (17,800,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions (15,600,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions (3,400,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions
Reductions for tax positions due to statute of limitations (200,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsReductionsResultingFromLapseOfApplicableStatuteOfLimitations (3,600,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsReductionsResultingFromLapseOfApplicableStatuteOfLimitations (800,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsReductionsResultingFromLapseOfApplicableStatuteOfLimitations
Settlements (9,000,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromSettlementsWithTaxingAuthorities (700,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromSettlementsWithTaxingAuthorities (8,000,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromSettlementsWithTaxingAuthorities
Assumed in connection with the Champion acquisition   9,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromAcquisition  
Assumed in connection with the Nalco merger     7,800,000ecl_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromMerger
Foreign currency translation (3,500,000)ecl_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesDecreasesResultingFromForeignCurrencyTranslation 500,000ecl_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesDecreasesResultingFromForeignCurrencyTranslation (4,500,000)ecl_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesDecreasesResultingFromForeignCurrencyTranslation
Balance at end of year 78,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 98,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 93,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Interest on unrecognized tax benefits accrued during the period 7,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense 2,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense 3,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense
Accrued interest, including minor amounts for penalties $ 14,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued $ 12,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued