A method for conditioning the felts in a papermaking process utilizing deinked secondary fiber in the furnish by adding a felt conditioner consisting of from 5-33% of a nonionic surfactant, from 5-33% of a dispersant, or blends thereof, with the remainder water; wherein the nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated nonylphenols having moles of ethoxylation of from 7.5 to 30 and an HLB of about 12 to 17.2 and di-alkyl phenol ethoxylates having moles of ethoxylation of from 15 to 24 and an HLB of about 13 to 15.1; and wherein the dispersant is selected from the group consisting of the sodium salt of naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde-condensate having an average molecular weight of from about 700 to 3500, the potassium salt of polymerized alkyl naphthalene sulfonic acid having an average molecular weight of approximately 1000, or the sodium or ammonium salt of lignosulfonate. Additionally, from 1 to 5% of an alkylether hydroxypropyl sultaine enhances performance.