Hand tools ringleader wrapped in absorbent cloths (7)
I believe the answer is:
trowels
'hand tools' is the definition.
(trowel is a kind of hand tool)
'ringleader wrapped in absorbent cloths' is the wordplay.
'ringleader' becomes 'r' (first letter of ring).
'wrapped in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'absorbent cloths' becomes 'towels' (I've seen this before).
'r' placed within 'towels' is 'TROWELS'.
(Other definitions for trowels that I've seen before include "Small hand tools" , "Tools for gardening and plastering" , "Hand tools for scooping" , "Garden tools" , "Garden implements" .)