I also often have ~20p over for dinner. Not so uncommon when you meet a couple of families with each a bunch of kids. However - these types of dishwasher loads

I also often have ~20p over for dinner. Not so uncommon when you meet a couple of families with each a bunch of kids. However - these types of dishwasher loads stack really well, actually the type of dishes dishwashers are made for packing. You can easily fill the dishwasher with 20 plates of the same type, same with cutlery and glasses. And most of the times at these parties the dishes are fresh, so easy to clean. Another note. In Sweden and Europe the trend has been for slower programs. To be able to meet the energy consumption benchmarks. 30 years ago dishwashers would typically be done in 1h. Nowadays the default program is often set to 3h. (With an option to do it faster and burn more energy)