Wetting agent allows water to slide off the film for spot/streak free drying. Wash aid helps remove fixer from paper so it dries without stains and the image lasts. I would not use wetting agent to wash prints.
Wetting agent serves only to ensure that water flows smoothly off an emulsion surface without drying in "blobs" and leaving marks.
"Washaid" or "HCA" promotes the speed with which thiosulfate silver complexes (have I got that right?) wash out of fibre-based paper after fixing - which is what reduces the wash time. It is usually based on Sodium sulfite plus a few bits and bobs to adjust pH & reduce or eliminate scum & sludge
You might very well use a wetting agent in your final-final rinse for paper as well as film, of course.
Agfa recommended a 1% solution of sodium carbonate as a wash aid for prints. This chemical is probably easier to find for the majority of people than sodium sulfite. Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is usually available in the detergent sections of most supermarkets.
Agfa recommended a 1% solution of sodium carbonate as a wash aid for prints. This chemical is probably easier to find for the majority of people than sodium sulfite. Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is usually available in the detergent sections of most supermarkets.