if todds told you to bleach them first i wouldn't trust it ..lol ....those guys are well ...i just dont trust them from my own experiences with with them
but for the bleach i wouldn't worry about it much rinse it REAL good and let it sit a few days and you should be fine ....bleach evaporates or something like that ...lol
as to your question i have never heard of bleach strips ...maybe the hardware store?