That start here link earlier in this thread is the best, I'll re-post
daisylove wrote:I need to do some more reading about cleaning cuz I am not sure their is much more to do on cleaning. What can I get taken off and so on. Where is a good place to go for all that info?As far as hard inquiries go I have had none in the past 12 months as I said I have not applied for credit in the last 3 years or so. When I pulled my two reports this past week their were only soft inquiries on thier.
Read the stickies at the top of the main General Credit Issues board, that one is there. Make sure to read links contained in those threads and read lots of posts! Once you know if there is more you can do it's easier to read on that particular subject, and there is lots of help here among the community. The more you know about your situation, the easier it is for us all to make sure we are helping in the best manner. 
i would open a secured credit card (cc) first with the bank you do business at...they report...if you belong to a credit union apply there.. having a mix of credit is 10% of your fico score.. it appears you have no revolving credit so to ans your question ....sure apply...be very careful about applying for unsecured cards right now since your other cards were closed...credit cards companies (ccc) will see that and they might deny...you dont want to have your score drop due to the inquiry and you dont get the card....bummer