Document and Entity Information Document In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	NEWELL RUBBERMAID INC
Trading Symbol	nwl
Entity Central Index Key	0000814453
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	287.6