New Accounting Pronouncements (Details)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017 item
Accounting Standards Update 2016-15
Number of cash flow items impacted	8

Number of cash flow items impacted by new accounting pronouncement.

No definition available.

Name:	ecl_NumberOfCashFlowItemsImpacted
Namespace Prefix:	ecl_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration