Investor Information

Annual Meeting

Ecolab's annual meeting of stockholders will be held on Friday, May 6, 2005, at 10 a.m. in the Landmark Center's Weyerhauser Auditorium, 75 West Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Common Stock

Stock trading symbol ECL. Ecolab common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Pacific Exchange (PCX). Ecolab shares are also traded on an unlisted basis on certain other exchanges. Options are traded on the NYSE.

Ecolab common stock is included in the Specialty Chemicals sub-industry under the Materials sector of the Standard & Poor's Global Industry Classification Standard.

As of February 28, 2005, Ecolab had 5,102 shareholders of record. The closing stock price on February 28, 2005, was $31.71 per share.

Dividend Policy

Ecolab has paid common stock dividends for 68 consecutive years. Quarterly cash dividends are typically paid on the 15th of January, April, July and October.

Dividend Reinvestment

Shareholders of record may elect to reinvest their dividends. Plan participants may also elect to purchase Ecolab common stock through this service. To enroll in the plan, shareholders may contact the plan administrator, Computershare, for a brochure and enrollment form.

Governance/Compliance

Governance Information: Disclosures concerning our Board of Directors' policies, governance principles and corporate ethics practices, including our Code of Conduct, are available online at
www.ecolab.com/investor/governance

NYSE Compliance: Our Chief Executive Officer's most recent annual certification dated May 12, 2004, confirming he was not aware of any violations by Ecolab of the NYSE's Corporate Governance listing standards was previously filed with the NYSE.

SEC Compliance: The most recent certifications by our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer made pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 regarding the quality of our public disclosure can be found as Exhibit (31) to our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Also, the latest CEO/CFO certifications are available online at
www.ecolab.com/investor/governance

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
     225 South Sixth Street
     Minneapolis, MN 55402

Investor Inquiries

Securities analysts, portfolio managers and representatives of financial institutions seeking information about Ecolab may contact:

     Michael J. Monahan
     External Relations Vice President
     Telephone: (651) 293-2809
     E-mail: financial.info@ecolab.com

Investor Resources

SEC Filings: Copies of Ecolab's Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available free of charge. These documents may be obtained on our Web site at www.ecolab.com/investor promptly after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, or by contacting:

     Ecolab Inc.
     Attn: Corporate Secretary
     370 Wabasha Street North
     St. Paul, MN 55102
     E-mail: investor.info@ecolab.com

Web site: Visit www.ecolab.com/investor for financial information and investor news.

Research Coverage

Investors may contact the following firms that have recently provided research coverage on Ecolab: Banc of America Securities; Buckingham Research; Citigroup Smith Barney; Credit Suisse First Boston; Deutsche Bank; Goldman Sachs; Ingalls & Snyder; J. P. Morgan; Longbow Research; Morgan Stanley; Standard & Poor's; Thomas Weisel Partners; William Blair; UBS Securities; and Value Line. The reference to such firms does not imply any endorsement of the information by Ecolab.

Sustainability Report

For Ecolab, environmental sustainability means future viability and growth. To view our latest report, go to www.ecolab.com/companyprofile/environmental_principles

Transfer Agent, Registrar and Dividend Paying Agent

Shareholders of record may contact the transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services, LLC, to request assistance with a change of address, transfer of share ownership, replacement of lost stock certificates, dividend payment or tax reporting issues. If your Ecolab shares are held in a bank or brokerage account, please contact your bank or broker for assistance.

Address:
     Computershare Investor Services
     2 North LaSalle Street
     Chicago, IL 60602
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Correspondence:
     Computershare Investor Services
     P.O. Box 3309
     Chicago, IL 60690
General Correspondence:
     Computershare Investor Services
     P.O. Box A3504
     Chicago, IL 60690

Electronic Shareholder Communications:
Shareholders of record may register to receive future Annual Reports, proxy materials or other shareholder communications by E-mail, including account statements and tax reporting forms. By electing Electronic Shareholder Communications, you help Ecolab control costs and protect the environment by reducing paper usage. To enroll online, go to www.computershare.com/us/sc/eclb

E-mail: web.quiries@computershare.com, or use the online form at www.computershare.com/contactus

Hearing Impaired: (312) 588-4110

Telephone: (312) 360-5203; or 1-800-322-8325 Computershare provides telephone assistance to shareholders Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time). Around-the-clock service is also available online and to callers using touch-tone telephones.

Web site: Visit www.computershare.com/ecolab to view your account information.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.
If you received multiple copies of this report, you may have duplicate investment accounts. Help save resources. Please contact your broker or the transfer agent to request assistance with consolidating any duplicate accounts.