Lubbers helping with the cleaning (5)

I believe the answer is:

swabs

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'lubbers' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I don't understand how they can define each other.

'helping with the cleaning' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'with' could be 'w' (abbreviation) and 'w' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'sabs' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.