Bleach weakens the fabric, especially natural fibers such as cotton.
My DB & DSIL received a quilt for their wedding where a couple of the fabrics had been bleached to make it an all pastel quilt. After only a few of years all the bleached triangles started to tear at the seams. My mom and I ended up buying brighter colors to replace all those pieces, mom sewed them in by hand, practically appliqueing each piece on top of the damaged bits, sewing them to the 'healthy' fabrics.
The quilt now has much more punch and the design can actually be seen, with the bleached fabric it was all the same value.
After numerous washings during the last fifteen years or so since the repair, it's held up well. I slept under that quilt when I visited this spring and was amazed that there is practically no damage to either the old or new fabrics. The problem clearly was the bleach.
When I was in my teens a friend had purchased new jeans and wanted a distressed look. She put them in a basin of water with a cup or so of bleach added, leaving them to soak all day.... Parts of the jeans actually dissolved in the next couple of washings!
No more bleach being used for laundry in this household!
I really like the option of using the reverse side of the fabric, or giving them that tea bath, or generally overdying can be a lot of fun.
chemical and should not go anywhere near our lovely 100% cottons, let alone be allowed to destroy quilty efforts. Over the years I have had enough dark clothes wrecked by one drop of bleach to know better. Horrible stuff to have in the house except that it kills 99% of household germs and the best place for it is down the toilet. Thank you so much for your input, I sort of knew that bleach is wicked stuff but was so focussed on fixing the fabric and now you have put my brain back in gear and clarified the matter. I'm going to leave the fabric alone and go with right side out and see what happens, one thing I now know for sure it won't fall apart! Thank you everyone! 
