COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020 item
Environmental matters
Number of locations for environmental assessments and remediation	30

Represents the number of locations for environmental assessments and remediation.

No definition available.

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