Exhibit 24.1
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That the undersigned, a Director of Ecolab Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Corporation”), does hereby make, nominate and appoint DOUGLAS M. BAKER, LAWRENCE T. BELL and MICHAEL C. McCORMICK, and each of them, individually, to be my attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority to sign his name to a Registration Statement on Form S-8 relating to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933 of not more than 100,000 shares of Ecolab Inc. Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, and Preferred Stock Purchase Rights associated with the Common Stock, for the Ecolab Limited — Ecolab New Zealand Share Purchase Plan, and any and all amendments thereto, provided that the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, in final form, be approved by said attorney-in-fact, and his name, when thus signed, shall have the same force and effect as though I had manually signed said document or documents.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 3rd day of December, 2009.
| /s/Barbara J. Beck |
| Barbara J. Beck |
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| /s/Les S. Biller |
| Les S. Biller |
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| /s/Richard U. De Schutter |
| Richard U. De Schutter |
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| /s/Jerry A. Grundhofer |
| Jerry A. Grundhofer |
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| /s/Joel W. Johnson |
| Joel W. Johnson |
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| /s/Jerry W. Levin |
| Jerry W. Levin |
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| /s/Robert L. Lumpkins |
| Robert L. Lumpkins |
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| /s/C. Scott O’Hara |
| C. Scott O’Hara |
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| /s/Beth M. Pritchard |
| Beth M. Pritchard |
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| /s/Victoria J. Reich |
| Victoria J. Reich |
