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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
item
location
lawsuit
Environmental matters  
Number of locations for environmental assessments and remediation 35ecl_NumberOfLocationsForEnvironmentalAssessmentsAndRemediation
Loss contingencies  
Number of open wage hour lawsuits 6ecl_ClaimsWageHourLawsuitsNumber
Period to appeal court's decision after entry of final judgment under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 30 days
Number of complaints filed by individuals 23ecl_ComplaintsFiledByIndividuals
Wage Hour Claims  
Loss contingencies  
Number of lawsuits certified for class action status 2ecl_LawsuitsCertifiedForClassActionStatusNumber
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= ecl_WageHourLitigationMember
Deepwater Horizon Incident | Nalco  
Loss contingencies  
Number of oil dispersants for which the EPA released toxicity data 8ecl_NumberOfOilDispersantsToxicityDataWasReleased
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= ecl_NalcoHoldingCompanyMember
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ecl_DeepwaterHorizonIncidentMember
Number of master complaints naming Nalco and others who responded to the oil spill (known as the "B3 Bundle") 1ecl_NumberOfMasterComplaints
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= ecl_NalcoHoldingCompanyMember
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ecl_DeepwaterHorizonIncidentMember
Number of putative class action complaints filed 6ecl_PutativeClassActionComplaintsFiledNumber
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= ecl_NalcoHoldingCompanyMember
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ecl_DeepwaterHorizonIncidentMember
Number of proposed class action settlements 2ecl_ProposedClassActionSettlementsNumber
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= ecl_NalcoHoldingCompanyMember
/ us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= ecl_DeepwaterHorizonIncidentMember